Top RCB official, 3 event firm staffers arrested by Bengaluru cops over deadly stampede

NEW DELHI: A senior Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) official was among four people arrested by Bengaluru police on Friday in connection with the deadly stampede that killed 11 people and injured 75 others outside Chinnaswamy Stadium.The other three arrested are employees of the event management firm, DNA Entertainment.The arrests follow a high-level crackdown by the Karnataka government, which also suspended five senior police officers, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda. Three of those suspended are IPS officers. The stampede occurred on Wednesday afternoon, just before RCB’s planned victory parade following their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title win.Thousands of fans had gathered around the stadium, overwhelming security and logistical arrangements.A special investigation team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will now lead the probe. One of the FIRs, filed suo motu by a police officer, named RCB as the first accused, event organiser DNA Entertainment Networks as the second and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) as the third. The complaint alleges that the three entities “pressured” police to go ahead with the celebration despite law enforcement’s concerns over crowd control.

"Prima facie, it appears there was negligence and apathy on the part of the organisers, and this led to the tragedy," CM Siddaramaiah said. “These stern decisions have been taken after reviewing the available evidence and statements of senior police officers and ministers.” In a separate development, the Karnataka high court has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and issued a notice to the state government, demanding a detailed status report on the security arrangements and the circumstances leading to the stampede. Authorities are also facing criticism for failing to anticipate the massive turnout for the parade, with grieving families and opposition leaders questioning the lack of coordination between the organisers, police and government officials.