Bengaluru Stampede: RCB held guilty for Bengaluru stampede, many big revelations in the report submitted to HC

Bengaluru Stampede: The stampede that took place during the celebrations held to commemorate the IPL 2025 trophy win of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Bengaluru shook the city. Many people lost their lives in this tragic incident, after which the Karnataka government has completed its investigation in this matter and submitted a status report to the High Court. The court has directed to make this report public. This report has explained in detail the causes and responsibilities of the stampede at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, in which all the blame has been put on the RCB management and the organizers. Let's take a look at the highlights of this report.

Lack of formal permission

According to the report, DNA, the organization responsible for the event, did not take the formal permission required under the 2009 City Order. The organizers informed the Bengaluru Police about the Victory Parade on June 3, but did not make a formal application for permission. As a result, the police refused to approve the event.

RCB ignored police denial

The report reveals that despite the police denying permission, RCB continued to promote the event. On June 4, RCB openly shared invitations on social media, including a video message from star player Virat Kohli. In the video, Kohli urged fans to attend the event with free entry. The promotion attracted a massive crowd.

Unexpected crowd and lack of management

The Karnataka government report states that more than 3 lakh people turned up for the event, which was far beyond the expectations and crowd management capabilities of the organisers. There was no concrete plan to control such a large crowd, resulting in the situation going out of control.

Last-minute pass requirement

At 3:14 pm on the day of the event, the organisers suddenly announced that passes would be mandatory for entry into the stadium. This announcement was contrary to the earlier announcement of free entry. This unexpected change created confusion and panic among the fans, which further worsened the situation.

Flaws in crowd management

The report cited lack of coordination between RCB, DNA, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) as the main reason. Poor management and delayed opening of entry gates led to the stampede. Seven policemen were also injured in the incident. The organisers had not made adequate arrangements to control the crowd.

Limited event allowed

The police had allowed a limited event under controlled conditions to prevent the situation from worsening further. However, this permission was also not fully followed.

Post-incident action

• The Karnataka government took several steps following the tragic stampede, including:
• Magistrate and judicial probes were initiated into the matter.
• An FIR was registered in connection with the incident.
• Disciplinary action was taken against the police officials responsible.
• The political secretary to the chief minister was suspended.
• The state intelligence chief was transferred.
• Compensation was announced for the victims.