Bengaluru Stampede: Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary and treasurer resign; take moral responsibility for Bangalore stampede case

Big news is coming from the Karnataka State Cricket Association, which is embroiled in controversies after the stampede in Bangalore. According to the information, A. Shankar and ES Jayaram have resigned from their respective posts as Secretary and Treasurer of KSCA. They have taken moral responsibility for the stampede during RCB's IPL Trophy celebrations. 11 people died in the accident.

In a joint statement, Shankar and Jayaram said that they have submitted their resignation to the KSCA President on Thursday night. The statement said, 'Due to the unexpected and unfortunate events that took place in the last two days, we would like to inform that we have resigned from our respective posts as Secretary and Treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association. However, our role was very limited.'

Earlier, KSCA President Raghuram Bhat, Secretary Shankar, and Treasurer Jayaram had filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court that gate management and crowd management were not the responsibility of the association. They had sought permission to organize the RCB IPL celebrations at Vidhana Soudha. The felicitation ceremony at Vidhana Soudha was completed without any major disturbance, but an accident occurred outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where lakhs of people gathered after RCB's social media invitation, which was later removed. Due to this, the victory parade had to be canceled, but the ceremony inside the stadium continued. Despite this, such a big accident happened outside.

What was written in the letter sent to the government?

According to the KSCA letter sent for permission, KSCA on behalf of M/s DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd requests to inform that if Royal Challengers Bangalore wins the title after the IPL final on June 3, 2025, then M/s DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd will plan the felicitation ceremony at the Vidhana Soudha Grand Steps. The federation has written in a letter issued to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms of the state government that KSCA requests that M/s DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd be allowed to make necessary arrangements at the Vidhana Soudha Grand Steps.

'Police registered FIR under pressure and compelling circumstances'

KSCA has argued in the state High Court that its officials cannot be held responsible for any kind of mistake. They are not responsible in any way for this unfortunate incident. The organization said in its writ petition, 'IPL events are organized by RCB through its service provider M/s DNA Network Private Limited and the role of KSCA is very limited. KSCA hands over the venue and infrastructure to it. The police have registered the FIR by making the petitioner/KSCA members accused under extreme pressure and compelling circumstances without any preliminary investigation.

Initial relief from the High Court

Hearing the petition seeking cancellation of FIR against KSCA officials, Justice SR Krishna Kumar restrained the police from taking any punitive action against the officials till the next hearing. The court also directed the petitioners to fully cooperate in the investigation. The petition to cancel the FIR will be heard again on June 16. The High Court has also taken suo motu cognizance of this tragic incident and asked the state government to file a 'status report'. It will be heard on June 10.

What is the matter?

After Royal Challengers Bangalore won the IPL title, celebrations were going on in Bangalore. During this, 11 people died in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium. More than 50 people were injured in the accident. The organizers have faced severe criticism for continuing the program inside the stadium despite the stampede. Lakhs of people had gathered outside the stadium after RCB's social media invitation. However, this invitation was later removed. The roadshow was canceled due to excessive crowd, but the ceremony continued inside the stadium. The felicitation ceremony at Vidhan Soudha was completed without any major disturbance, but chaos spread outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium.