Police in Bengaluru, India's tech capital, arrested four individuals early Friday for their role in a deadly clash with fans that occurred on Wednesday as local cricket team Royal Challengers Bengaluru was celebrating its victory in the T20 Indian Premier League (IPL) championship.
The team offered free tickets for a trophy celebration at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, saying the number of tickets would be limited. Officials say the stadium has a capacity of 35,000 people, “but 200,000-300,000 people came.”
In the end, 11 people were killed and 47 others injured as fans without tickets tried to force their way into the stadium, in what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called an "absolutely heartbreaking" incident.
State officials announced on Friday that "legal action has been taken against RCB representatives," as well as the event organizers and the state cricket association.
Local media have reported that the four face charges of intentional homicide that does not constitute murder, among other things.
Officials suggested that senior police officers could also be punished for their roles.
Is the wealthy Indian Premier League cricket paying attention to fan safety?
The IPL is the richest cricket league in the world, with media outlets widely reporting that RCB's T20 victory had secured them a match bonus of $2.3 million (€2 million).
RCB has called the incident "unfortunate" and offered $11,655 to each family of the victims, most of whom were men aged 14-49.
The Indian Premier League ranks among the richest in the world in terms of cost per match since selling a five-year package of global broadcast rights for $6.2 billion in 2022.
This has prompted many people in India to demand that the league be more open about Wednesday's tragedy.
Gazeta Indian Express wrote this week: “The richest cricket tournament in the world cannot ignore the safety of its fans. Therefore, a fitting tribute to the dead is not simply signing a cheque, but holding those responsible accountable.”/DW
