Bengaluru Stampede: High Court Seeks Report From Govt

The Karnataka High Court took suo motu cognizance of the stampede incident in Bengaluru that left several injured and sparked widespread criticism over administrative lapses. The court issued a notice to the state government, seeking a detailed status report on the incident by Tuesday while expressing serious concern over the safety and crowd management measures at public events.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwara Rao and Justice CM Joshi said it would lay down specific aspects on which the next status report must be filed and directed the registry to formally treat the matter as suo motu. The case will be heard again on Tuesday.

Appearing before the bench, Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty said, “We are not taking an adversarial approach. Whatever direction the court gives, we are ready to act.” He said water tankers, ambulances, and command and control vehicles were also present, and this was “far more” than what had been done for previous matches. 

At least 11 people were killed and 47 others injured in a stampede at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday, after an overwhelming crowd surged through two entry gates ahead of a celebratory event. The tragedy unfolded as a sea of fans gathered to attend a reception honouring Karnataka’s Royal Challengers IPL team. The event was jointly held at two venues- the Vidhana Soudha and the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB Management To Be Probed

However, The management of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face official scrutiny over a social media post announcing a public victory parade, made just hours before a deadly stampede at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The probe will also include senior members of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), whose role in planning the felicitation ceremony is now under review by Bengaluru Police and a magisterial inquiry panel.