Top KSCA officials resign citing "moral responsibility" for Bengaluru stampede; state govt orders CID probe

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 7 (ANI): Top senior officials of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam, tendered their resignations from their posts, taking "moral responsibility" for the stampede that took place near M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team's felicitation after winning their Indian Premier League (IPL) title by defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a tight final on Tuesday.
As per ESPNCricinfo, the resignation has been submitted to the president of the board, Raghuram Bhat.
Also in Bengaluru, CID officials paid a visit to KSCA office, with the state government having ordered a CID probe into the stampede case.
https://x.com/ANI/status/1931270628885373001
As per ESPNCricinfo, the stampede left 11 people dead and several others injured. Communicating to KSCA on Friday night, both Shankar and Jairam wrote as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, "Due to the unforeseen and unfortunate events that have unfolded in the last two days, and though our role was very limited, but owing moral responsibility, we wish to state that last night we have tendered our resignation to our respective posts as secretary and treasurer of the KSCA."
The Bengaluru Police also filed a first information report (FIR) against the popular IPL franchise on Thursday, as per ESPNCricinfo. The police have said that RCB was not given permission to conduct the event at the stadium. RCB has been listed as the first accused in the FIR, along with DNA Entertainment, the franchise's event partners, and the KSCA, which is in control of the stadium.
On Friday, the cops also confirmed the arrest of RCB's marketing and revenue head Nikhil Sosale, while acting on directives of newly appointed police commissioner SK Singh, who took over after his predecessor was removed by the chief minister Siddaramaiah after the incident.
Later that day, a writ petition was filed by KSCA, arguing that the FIR against them was a move made under pressure of state government by the police and hence a "knee-jerk" reaction.
KSCA said that the stampede was caused due to an unexpected crowd surge and no intent or motive could be attributed to the petitioners. They also stressed that the crowd management was a responsibility which lied with the franchise's management, event organisers and the police.
The council defending the state's cricket governing body also raised concerns about arrest of Sosale, claiming that it indicated a targetted approach. Sosale also approached the Karnataka High Court and challenged his arrest, as per Bar and Bench, an Indian legal news platform.
RCB is yet to issue an official statement on Sosale's arrest, though on Thursday, they announced compensation worth Rs 10 lakh for family of each deceased and also pledged to cover the medical expenses of those who sustained injuries. (ANI)