A walkers’ group in Bengaluru filed a police complaint over the destruction of trees and plants in the city’s popular Cubbon Park area, following a stampede outside the nearby Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The incident, which occurred on June 4 during Royal Challenger’s Bengaluru (RCB) felicitation event, resulting in the loss of 11 lives, saw panicked crowds spill over into the adjacent Cubbon Park area, leading to reported environmental damage.
In a formal complaint submitted to the Bengaluru police, the Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association included a CD that allegedly contains video footage capturing the chaos. The visuals reportedly show the extent of the damage, uprooted and mangled trees and ornamental plants, and the destruction of park infrastructure.
Cubbon Park is a vital green lung for Bengaluru city which is battling rising pollution and a shrinking green cover. It houses over 6,000 trees belonging to around 68 genera and 96 species, including both indigenous and exotic varieties like silver oaks and gulmohar.
The association has urged the police to investigate the incident and take action against those responsible, including the event organisers and concerned government departments. They blamed the lack of crowd control measures for both the stampede and the destruction of public property.
