Bengaluru, June 7 (IANS) The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has been rocked by high-level resignations in the wake of the tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2025 victory celebration at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium earlier this week.

On Saturday, KSCA secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam stepped down from their posts after the horrific incident unfolded on Wednesday. The resignations come amid mounting legal scrutiny and public outrage, with both officials citing “moral responsibility” as the reason behind their decision.

In a joint statement released on Saturday, the duo said: “This is to inform that 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 the Secretary and Treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, by way of a letter dated 06.06.2025 to the President of Karnataka State Cricket Association.”

Their decision follows a series of legal developments. On Friday, a day after KSCA and RCB jointly approached the Karnataka High Court seeking protection in relation to FIRs filed in connection with the stampede, the court took suo motu cognisance of the incident.

Acting on a briefing from Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, the High Court directed the state government to submit a status report by June 10. Justice S R Krishna Kumar, who presided over the hearing, granted interim protection from arrest to senior KSCA officials, contingent upon full cooperation with the ongoing police investigation.

On Friday, the Bengaluru city police arrested four people, including RCB’s marketing head, Nikhil Sosale, at Kempegowda International Airport as they were attempting to board a flight. The other three individuals taken into custody are Sunil Mathew, Sumanth, and Kiran Kumar, all linked to event management firm DNA Entertainment Private Limited. All four were produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

Sosale’s legal team has challenged the arrest, claiming it to be politically motivated and alleging that it was carried out on the orders of the Chief Minister without proper investigation. However, the court denied interim relief, choosing instead to hear the state’s argument before passing a verdict.

Meanwhile, the KSCA, in its petition, clarified the extent of its involvement in the event, distancing itself from operational responsibilities. It maintained that the cricket body had only played a limited logistical role.

“The role of the KSCA was limited to the extent of renting out the stadium premises and assisting the organiser in obtaining necessary permissions from the government and civic authorities. The entire responsibility of crowd management, ticketing, entry, security and logistics rested solely with the event organiser (RCB) and law enforcement agencies.”

The next court hearing is scheduled for June 10.

–IANS

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