RCB stampede victim’s earrings ‘stolen during post-mortem’, alleges mother

Bengaluru: The mother of a 14-year-old girl who died in the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium during the RCB victory celebrations has filed a police complaint, alleging that her daughter's belongings, including a pair of gold earrings, were stolen during the post-mortem.

Speaking to reporters after lodging the complaint on Thursday, Ashwini, mother of the deceased girl Divyanshi, said the earrings—gifted by the family—had deep emotional value and were missing when her daughter’s body was returned after the autopsy. The complaint was filed with the Commercial Street Police station in the city.

"She (Divyanshi) did not remove them for one year. They were gifted by our family. The earrings hold deep emotional value and I wanted to save those earrings as a keepsake," Ashwini said.

The woman alleged that despite approaching hospital authorities, including the dean, and visiting multiple police stations in the days following her daughter's death, she received no proper response.

"We tried filing a complaint with another police station, the hospital, and we had met the dean and others. They have agreed that the theft happened, but they didn't hand them over. It's not about the value of the earrings. We hold them dear as she was very fond of them," she said.

Commercial Street Police said a case has been registered under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to theft.

"We are in the process of investigating the allegations," a police official told PTI.

The stampede on June 4 near Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left several injured. The incident occurred during a victory parade organised by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise after their successful IPL campaign, when a massive crowd gathered outside the venue, leading to a stampede.