What Happened in the Bengaluru Stampede? AG Requests Time for Report

Bengaluru, June 10 (NationPress) The Advocate General, acting on behalf of the Karnataka government, requested an extension on Monday to submit a report concerning the tragic stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium that occurred on June 4, which resulted in the loss of 11 lives during the victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team.

The High Court Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice V. Kameshwar Rao and Justice C.M. Joshi, acknowledged the request and permitted the submission of the report in a sealed cover by Thursday. The case has been scheduled for further examination on June 12.

The Karnataka High Court had initiated suo motu proceedings regarding the stampede, mandating the state government to provide a detailed report.

Shashi Kiran Shetty, the Advocate General, informed the court that he had not yet filed a response before the Bench. He mentioned that the government had established a judicial commission and suspended certain police officials. He argued that any material presented in open court could be utilized by the accused.

Furthermore, the Advocate General maintained that presenting the report in an open court on Tuesday could lead to a prejudged outcome for the government. He emphasized the necessity for an independent inquiry report.

The court raised concerns regarding the submission of the report, questioning the challenges faced in filing it. Nevertheless, the Bench allowed the report to be presented in a sealed cover.

"You submit your reply in a sealed cover by the day after tomorrow. Present it to the court on that day. That would be preferable," the Bench noted.

The proceedings were adjourned, with the Bench deciding to refrain from making any statements at this time and awaiting the report. The court also mentioned it would consider the impleading applications at that point.

Previously, on June 5, the Karnataka High Court had requested a report from the state government regarding any lapses and additional details related to the stampede at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Taking note of the incident, the High Court registered a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and called for a report from the state government.

A Division Bench, under the guidance of Acting Chief Justice V. Kameshwar Rao, expressed deep concern over the incident and questioned the government about the adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and whether sufficient guidelines had been established for managing the situation during the victory celebrations at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Furthermore, they inquired about the total number of entry gates at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and how many were operational during the celebration for fans. The Bench also queried the lack of medical facilities and ambulances available for those who fell ill.

The court questioned whether all fatalities occurred at the stadium gates.

The acting Chief Justice instructed the government to provide a detailed status report concerning the tragedy and postponed the matter to June 10.

Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, representing the government, provided the available data regarding the incident, stating that while the Chinnaswamy Stadium has a seating capacity of 35,000, around 250,000 people had gathered. He informed the court that typically, 700 police officers are assigned to manage the crowd during cricket matches, but for this celebration, the Police Department had deployed 1,600 officers.

Individuals from various regions, including Tamil Nadu, attended the event, contributing to the tragic outcome, he noted. He also indicated that there are 21 gates at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and according to government data, all gates were open at the time.

Senior counsel G.R. Mohan argued that only three gates were open during the celebration. Senior counsel Hemanth Raj contended that the state government should not have honored the RCB players, as they did not represent the country. He suggested that the simultaneous scheduling of two events on the same day led to the disaster.