D K Shivakumar

Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar

Activist files complaint against Dy.CM D K Shivakumar, CM Siddaramaiah over RCB stampede at Cubbon Park police station

Bengaluru

An activist from Bengaluru, Abraham T J, filed a complaint at the Cubbon Park police station on Thursday against Deputy Chief Minister (Dy.CM) and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and several other government officials for allegedly mishandling the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) celebration event held on June 4. The mismanagement reportedly resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals and injuries to over 70 others.

The police while have given acknowledgement to the complainant, the First Information Report is not yet registered. The complainant is now planning to move the court.

The complaint, a copy of which was accessed by the BLR.POST, reveals that Abraham has requested the police to register an FIR against 15 individuals, including Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh, former City Police Commissioner B Dayananda, Senior Director of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd., Menon Vijayan Rajesh, and others. However, a significant portion of the complaint focuses on Dy.CM Shivakumar’s alleged involvement in hosting the event and his instructions to the police. Abraham further claims that Shivakumar was planning to purchase the RCB franchise, valued at $2 billion, with negotiations allegedly taking place at $1 billion.

It should be noted that the state government suspended several officials, including Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Vikas Kumar Vikash, Shekhar H Tekkannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), C Balakrishna, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cubbon Park sub-division), and A K Girish, Police Inspector of Cubbon Park police station. The government has also assigned the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the mismanagement. All are named in the complaint.

The complaint states, “The desire for individual glory and greed to create a public impression that Shivakumar was in control of and had authority over the affairs of RCB (which was allegedly negotiating to buy) and wanted a spectacular entry into the cricket world, with pomp and publicity, to protect commercial interests, led to acts of criminal negligence culminating in culpable homicide, causing death by negligence, and endangering personal safety.” The complaint highlights that while a 2.5 km parade had initially been planned, it was canceled in favor of gathering the crowd in one place for a mere display. This concentration of people, the complaint argues, directly contributed to the tragic events.

What is more shocking in the complaint is the allegation that “Shivakumar instructed DCP Shekhar H. Tekkannavar not to open the gates because he wanted a huge crowd outside the stadium when he arrived.”

Abraham also mentioned, “Tekkannavar, instead of using a walkie-talkie, instructed his subordinate to call on a regular phone to inform Shivakumar’s name, even when the subordinate had first reported the uncontrollable situation in front of Chinnaswamy Stadium.”

Stampede due to gate mismanagement and police inaction

Only 3 out of the 22 gates at Chinnaswamy Stadium were opened as the crowd surged, resulting in a deadly stampede. There was no real-time monitoring or emergency response from the authorities or organisers. The alleged instruction given by Shivakumar to DCP Tekkannavar to keep the gates closed, even as people were dying in the stampede, amounts to willful negligence, the complaint concludes.

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