A high-stakes Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday witnessed an unexpected off-field drama, as a seat dispute in the elite Diamond hospitality box led to a heated confrontation between the families of two senior government officials an IPS officer and an Income Tax commissioner.
According to a report by the Times of India, the incident began when the IPS officer’s daughter, who was seated in the Diamond Box with her brother, stepped away briefly to use the restroom, leaving her purse on the seat to indicate it was occupied. During her absence, a man later identified as part of the I-T commissioner’s family allegedly took her place.
When the brother asked the man to vacate the seat, he refused, resulting in an argument. Matters escalated when the daughter returned and the man was joined by his wife (the Income Tax official) and their son. The verbal exchange soon intensified into a full-blown confrontation.
How did the incident unfold?
A senior police officer said, “The daughter stepped away to use the washroom, leaving her purse on the seat to indicate it was occupied. That is when a man came and occupied her seat. When the brother told him to vacate as his sister was all set to return, the man did not budge and an argument broke out between the two. Soon, the sister joined her brother while the man was joined by his wife, the income tax official, and their son. The argument intensified with each hurling abuse at the other. At one point, the confrontation between the IPS officer’s daughter and the man almost went out of control as the man was arguing in her face,” .
The brother-sister duo contacted their parents, who were not at the venue. The IPS officer, while rushing to the stadium, reportedly reached out to senior officials for assistance, but received no help. In the meantime, his wife visited the Cubbon Park police station and lodged a formal complaint.
In her complaint, she accused the man of making “unwelcome physical contact” and “intruding on her (daughter’s) privacy with an intention to offend her.” She also stated they had visual proof of the incident, recorded by the couple’s son on his phone.
Did police register case?
According to the report, no police personnel were deployed in the Diamond Box during the incident. A case was registered against the I-T commissioner’s family under BNS Sections 351 (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 75 (sexual harassment which includes physical contact involving unwelcome overtures), and 79 (insulting a woman’s modesty)
