Not sparing anyone: Karnataka govt tells HC on stampede

Bengaluru: During a suo motu hearing on the Bengaluru stampede in which 11 people died, the Karnataka government told the Karnataka High Court on Thursday that 2.5 lakh people had unexpectedly congregated outside the Chinnaswamy stadium to celebrate the victory of the local team, RCB, in the Indian Premier League.

The government also told the court that they had deployed over 1400 personnel, including senior officials, to maintain the law & order situation outside and inside the stadium.

Advocate general Shashi Kiran Shetty, appearing for the state, said that 2.5 lakh crowd accumulated because people from outside the state also turned up at the stadium. He said the government ordered a magisterial probe whose report will be furnished in 15 days. He said the government is not "sparing anyone" responsible for the tragedy.

On the court's query regarding the number of gates, the advocate general submitted, "Total 21, and instructions were that they were open and people were allowed inside and seated. Over 2 lakh people were around this place. We have started an inquiry, and notices have been given to everyone; we are not sparing anyone," he added.