RCB Moves Karnataka High Court to Quash FIR in Bengaluru Stadium Stampede Case

On Monday, June 9, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash a criminal case filed against the franchise following the tragic stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which claimed the lives of 11 people.

In its petition, RCB said that it was wrongly named in the FIR. It further added that it was not responsible for the incident and it requested that the court remove its name from the case, citing a lack of direct involvement in crowd management.

DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd., the event organizer, also filed a separate petition. The company blamed the Bengaluru police for inadequate crowd control measures and insufficient security deployment, which it claims led to the chaos and fatal stampede.

According to a report by The Times of India, Royal Challengers Sports Limited, the parent company of RCB, stated that entry passes were limited and required mandatory pre-registration, even for those receiving free entry. It added that event details and registration instructions were widely shared on social media in advance.

RCB also pointed to a delay in opening the stadium gates as a key factor in the sudden crowd surge and confusion outside the stadium. RCB stated that gates were supposed to open at 1:45 PM but only opened around 3:00 PM.

The FIR filed by the police includes charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and violations of public safety laws, indicating the seriousness of the allegations.

In response to the incident, Karnataka CM had suspended five police officers, including the Bengaluru City Commissioner, and ordered the arrest of officials from both RCB and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

To date, three employees of DNA Entertainment and one senior marketing official from RCB have been arrested. Currently, the investigation is underway.