Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) filed a writ petition with the High Court on Friday, challenging the state government’s decision to file an FIR against the association’s office bearers for the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The KSCA claims the government is trying to shift the blame onto them to escape public outrage regarding the stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which killed 11 people in Bengaluru.
The writ has been presented to the High Court, and the KSCA’s counsel has appealed for an emergency hearing. The court has accepted the petition and is likely to take up the matter by the end of the day.
In its writ, the KSCA submitted that the filing of an FIR against them and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s issuance of arrest orders in front of the media at a press conference are against the law.
They argued that the state government organised the felicitation event at Vidhana Soudha and called for fans to participate.
Furthermore, the KSCA claimed that crowd management is not its responsibility.
The KSCA alleged that by suspending police officers, the government has acknowledged its mistakes and is now making allegations to safeguard its own image and that of its ministers.
The writ petition also highlighted that CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar were themselves at the forefront of the programme held at Vidhana Soudha to felicitate RCB players, with Dy CM Shivakumar even receiving the players at HAL airport.
The KSCA asserted that it only manages matters related to cricket games, while the responsibility of crowd management at the gates of Chinnaswamy Stadium lies with the RCB and the police.
Four people, including the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Marketing Head and DNA Event Management Company staffers, were arrested on Friday in connection with the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing for RCB, along with Sunil Matthew, Kiran, and Sumanth from DNA Event Management, have been arrested, according to the police.
Police said the accused have been arrested in a joint operation at the Bengaluru International Airport.
According to sources, the hunt is on for Rajesh Menon, Head and Vice President of RCB; K.T. Majeed, Director and Chief Financial Officer of DNA Event Management Firm; KSCA Secretary A. Shankar; and Treasurer Jayaram.
The police have also raided the residences of KSCA Secretary A. Shankar and KSCA Treasurer Jayaram.
The Karnataka Police in the FIR stated that the accused parties — RCB franchise, DNA event management firm, and the KSCA Administrative Committee — organised the victory celebration without the necessary permissions.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by using dangerous weapons or means), 118(2) read with Section 3(5) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt, when the act is done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 190 (unlawful assembly), 132 (criminal force to deter a public servant), 125(a) (filing false affidavit), and 125(b) (rash and negligent acts that endanger human life) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced the suspension of five senior police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner and DCP (Central Division), in connection with the incident.
(IANS)
