Four arrested over India cricket stadium crush

Four arrested over India cricket stadium crush

Police in India have arrested at least four people in connection with the fatal crowd crush that took place in the southern city of Bengaluru earlier this week.

On Wednesday, 11 people were killed when tens of thousands gathered outside a cricket stadium to celebrate the cricket league Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) historic Indian Premier League (IPL) victory.

Those arrested include personnel of RCB and the event management company which organised the celebrations.

Five senior police officers, including the city’s police chief, have been suspended for “negligence and irresponsibility” by the government.

A police official told BBC Hindi that more arrests are expected as the investigation continues.

According to police, the people arrested were responsible for posting about the victory parade – from the state legislature building to the Chinnaswamy Stadium – on RCB’s social media handles and website.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that a police complaint had been filed and legal action taken against the franchise, the event management company, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association.

More than 200,000 people reportedly turned up for the parade, although police had anticipated only half that number. The stadium, where the celebrations were held, has a capacity of 32,000 and was overwhelmed long before the team arrived.

The Karnataka High Court has also ordered a status report on the incident.

Four arrested over India cricket stadium crush