BENGALURU — The Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district, who also
serves as the District Magistrate, has issued notices to 45 injured people in
connection with the stampede incident that claimed 11 lives at the Chinnaswamy
Stadium on June 4. These individuals have been directed to record their
statements on June 11.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who ordered a magisterial
inquiry into the tragedy, has mandated that Deputy Commissioner Jagadeesha G.
submit the report within 15 days.
Jagadeesha has issued a notice directing the injured
persons to arrive at the magisterial court auditorium, located within the
premises of the Deputy Commissioner's Office in Bengaluru, between 11 a.m. and
1.30 p.m. to record their statements.
Sources state that once these statements are recorded,
the Deputy Commissioner will proceed to record the statements of the family
members of the deceased and eyewitnesses on June 13. A letter has also been
sent to the office of the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, seeking information
regarding the details of the police staff deputed at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on
June 4.
After recording statements from the police department and
inquiring with the officers, the report will be submitted to the government.
The Deputy Commissioner has already visited the Chinnaswamy Stadium and
inspected the site. Statements from the management of the Royal Challengers
Bengaluru franchise, the DNA Event Management firm, and the Karnataka State
Cricket Association (KSCA) will also be recorded.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is
most likely to get custody of Nikhil Sosale, the Marketing Head of RCB. His
petition challenging his arrest by the police is also scheduled to come before
the court today. Sunil Matthew, Kiran, and Sumanth from DNA Event Management
are the other arrested individuals. The CID has sought custody of these four
accused, who are currently lodged in the Bengaluru Central Prison.
The CID is also likely to question KSCA President
Raghuram Bhat, Secretary A. Shankar, and Treasurer E.S. Jayaram, who have
obtained relief from the High Court against coercive action by the police
department.
Following public backlash, the state government has
increased the compensation amount from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Additionally,
the government suspended five senior police officers, including the Bengaluru
Police Commissioner.