In the wake of a tragic stampede at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which resulted in 11 fatalities, two top officials of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) have resigned from their posts. Secretary A Shankar and Treasurer ES Jairam stepped down on Saturday, June 7, 2025, accepting moral responsibility for the incident that occurred during celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL title win.
The resignations came hours after the Karnataka High Court granted the KSCA officials protection from arrest. Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar issued an interim order, directing the police not to take any coercive action against KSCA President Raghuram Bhat, Secretary A. Shankar, and Treasurer E.S. Jayaram. The court, however, clarified that the investigation into the case could continue and instructed the KSCA office-bearers to cooperate and remain within the court's jurisdiction. The petition to quash the FIR will be taken up again on June 16.
The incident has sparked widespread concern regarding crowd management and safety arrangements at major public events. Following the tragedy, a case was registered at Cubbon Park Police Station, and the state government appointed a one-member inquiry commission led by retired high court judge Justice John Michael D'Cunha to conduct an inquiry into the tragedy. The high court has also taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and has asked the state to file a status report, which will be heard on June 10.
The KSCA officials, in their defense, argued that the FIR naming them was a 'knee-jerk' reaction by the police under pressure from the state government, which was facing public criticism and media scrutiny after the incident. They also claimed that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's public remarks calling for arrests had influenced police action.
The state government has suspended top police officials, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, citing dereliction of duty. Meanwhile, opposition parties BJP and JD(S) have accused the state government of scapegoating officials to protect KSCA and political figures involved in organizing the event.
The resignations of Shankar and Jairam have created a leadership vacuum within the KSCA, and the association now faces the daunting task of restoring its credibility. The remaining members of the KSCA will need to address the issues raised by the stampede, implement stricter safety protocols, and work to regain the trust of the public and cricket fans.
Beyond the immediate tragedy, the KSCA has also faced allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the past. Earlier this year, Belagavi City MLA Abhay Patil raised concerns about black marketing of tickets. The Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA) has also accused the Deputy Chief Minister's office of corruption. While a commission investigated allegations of a "40% commission" during the previous BJP government, it found that the allegations might not be "100 percent true" but did flag irregularities in the tender process.
