A petition has been filed in the Karnataka High Court by event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd and IPL cricket franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) seeking to quash the FIR registered against them in connection with the stampede incident at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed eleven lives.

In its plea, DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd stated that the incident occurred due to failures on the part of the state police, alleging that the police did not adequately manage the large crowds that had gathered for the public event.

The company submitted that there were not enough officers deployed at the stadium and claimed that most of the police personnel had been stationed near the Vidhana Soudha, leaving the stadium vulnerable to uncontrolled crowd surges.

In its petition, the firm highlighted that it had earlier handled a much larger crowd during India’s T20 World Cup victory parade without incident. It noted that although the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai had a limited capacity of 32,000, the event went off smoothly.

The event organiser further claimed that it had written to the authorities on June 3 seeking permission for an open-bus parade, but the police denied the request. Instead, the state government chose to hold the celebration in front of the Vidhana Soudha, where a significant police force was deployed, allegedly leaving the stadium inadequately guarded.

According to DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd, it had deployed 584 private staff for the event and arranged 2,450 food packets for the police. However, only 600 of these were received, allegedly due to low police presence in the area around the stadium during the afternoon.

The company also alleged that despite clear signs of crowd surge, the gates were opened only at 3.30 pm on the day the incident occurred. The situation allegedly escalated following a lathi-charge by police, which it claims triggered panic and caused the deadly stampede.

The petition argues that DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltdis being unfairly targeted to deflect blame from governmental lapses, and that two of its staff members were arrested under political directions.

It further states that the event was held with an official invitation from the Karnataka government, with the Chief Secretary personally overseeing preparations.

The High Court is slated to hear a total of four petitions in this matter today at 2.30 pm before Justice Krishna Kumar. This includes a separate plea by Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL), who has challenged his arrest in the case, calling it arbitrary, illegal and a violation of his fundamental rights.

In a petition filed before the court, Sosale contended that the manner in which he was arrested was illegal, arbitrary and in violation of his fundamental rights. Sosale’s petition argues that his arrest was not based on any investigation and appears to have been the result of political pressure. “It is clear from the timing of the Petitioner’s arrest, which is evidently the result of an oral directive of the Hon’ble Chief Minister to arrest various RCB officials – that too, in the absence of any investigation whatsoever – that the Petitioner’s arrest is motivated and an attempt to shift the blame of the tragedy to Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) and its officials,” the petition states. (India Today)

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Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal has strongly criticized the poor planning and crowd management during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory celebrations at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a stampede claimed the lives of at least 11 fans and injured several others. 

After RCB’s long-awaited first IPL title win on June 3 in Ahmedabad, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had organised a felicitation ceremony in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Thousands of fans gathered outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes.

However, as the crowd swelled, the situation became unmanageable. Police resorted to a lathi-charge to control the crowd, leading to panic and chaos. Seven people were killed in the resulting stampede, while several others were rushed to Bowring Hospital and Vydehi Superspeciality Hospital for treatment.

“People will not forget this —or Virat Kohli. While people were dying outside, there was a celebration inside. It’s truly shocking and disheartening. The families of the dead should consider suing RCB and the state government for ₹100 crore for this tragic mishap…BCCI is also shirking responsibility,” former Indian cricketer Madan Lal told IANS.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed the media after the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the dead.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar defended the arrangements, stating, “We had arranged for 5,000 police personnel. We couldn’t use force on such a young, vibrant crowd.”

The authorities have confirmed that the bodies of two persons are at Bowring Hospital and that of four others at Vaidehi Hospital. Six people are being treated in the ICU of the Vaidehi Hospital and three are admitted to the ICU.

The government of Karnataka had earlier cancelled the victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium, citing security reasons. (IANS)

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More than 100 people have been killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, authorities say.

A large crowd gathered on Tuesday in a village in Uttar Pradesh state’s Hathras district, about 200km (125 miles) southeast of the national capital, New Delhi, for a sermon by a preacher, and a fierce dust storm sparked panic as people were leaving.

Many were crushed or trampled and fell on top of each other. Some collapsed into a roadside drain in the chaos.

At least 116 people died, most of them women and children, said Prashant Kumar, the director general of police in Uttar Pradesh.

Senior police officer Shalabh Mathur also confirmed 116 deaths and said at least 18 people were injured, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported.

The state’s chief medical officer, Umesh Kumar Tripathi, told reporters “many injured” have been admitted to hospital.

The stampede occurred as attendees rushed to leave the event with a religious leader named Bhole Baba, local media reported.

Unverified videos on social media showed what appeared to be bodies piled up on the ground outside a local hospital. Al Jazeera could not immediately verify the videos.

Police officer Rajesh Singh said overcrowding may have been a factor. Initial reports suggested more than 15,000 people had gathered for the event, which had permission for about 5,000.

People gathered outside one mortuary in the town of Etah, where many of the dead were taken, seeking news of their relatives.

One survivor, Jyoti, who goes only by her first name, told local media that the stampede happened quickly as soon as the event ended.

“Everyone was in a rush to leave. … There was no way out, and people were falling on each other,” she said.

“When the sermon finished, everyone started running out,” Shakuntala, another woman who gave only one name, told the Press Trust of India news agency.

State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered an investigation into the incident.

“Instructions have been given to the concerned officials to conduct relief and rescue operations on war footing and to provide proper treatment to the injured,” he wrote on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of $2,400 to the next of kin of those who died and $600 to those injured in the “tragic incident”.

“My condolences are with those who have lost their loved ones. … I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” Modi wrote on the social media platform X.

President Droupadi Murmu said the deaths were “heart-rending” and offered her “deepest condolences”.

Deadly accidents are common at places of worship in India during major religious festivals when large crowds gather in small areas with few safety measures. (Al Jazeera)

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Dozens of people were killed in a crowd surge in Yemen’s capital on Wednesday as needy residents in the war-torn nation flocked to receive charity handouts from local merchants during the holy month of Ramadan, officials have confirmed.

According to CNN, a video of the tragedy in Sanaa showed a chaotic scene with dozens of people packed tightly together, unable to move and shouting for help.

Those trapped formed a tangled wall of bodies with some desperately stretching out their arms for help. A couple of men who were freed could then be seen attempting to pull others out of the deadly crush. Images from the aftermath showed shoes and slippers heaped into piles as well as scarfs strewn on the floor.

“What happened tonight is a tragic and painful accident, as dozens of people were killed due to a large stampede of a number of citizens caused by a random distribution of sums of money by some merchants and without coordination with the Ministry of Interior,” the spokesman of the Houthi-run Ministry of Interior, Abdul-Khaleq al-Ajri, said in the statement.

At least 78 people were killed in the crush and dozens injured, Mutahar al-Marouni, the director of the Houthi-run Health office in Sanaa, told the Houthi-run Al-Masirah news agency.

According to Reuters, hundreds of people had crowded into a school to receive donations of 5,000 Yemeni Riyal (about $9).

The incident came just a few days ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. During this time of the month, people start giving away Zakat al-Fitr, or the Zakat of Breaking the Fast of Ramadan, to people who are in need.

Naseh Shaker, a journalist who was at the scene, told CNN there was a “very long line of people” gathered at the entrance to the school, which was being used for distributing food and financial aid. They had begun queuing after sunset with the hopes of receiving the donation, he said.

When officials in charge of the distribution arrived and opened the door, “a lot of people rushed into the school.”

“This is a disaster to find people sacrificed their lives for just 10 dollars,” Shaker said. “People are very hungry people are very poor.”

Police and rescue teams rushed to the scene, according to the Interior Ministry statement.

“The dead and injured people were transferred to hospitals, and two merchants in charge of the matter were arrested,” the statement added.

The head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al-Mashat, ordered an investigation into the incident on Thursday.

The Houthi-run General Authority for Zakat announced in a statement it would give one million Yemeni Riyal ( about $4,000) to each family of the crowd surge victims.

It also said it would take care of the treatment of those injured and pay 200,000 Yemeni Riyal (about $800) to each injured person. (CNN)

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