Bengaluru Police Were Not In Favour Of RCB's IPL Victory Event That Claimed 11 Lives | Exclusive

Last Updated:June 05, 2025, 09:35 IST

Bengaluru Police were not in favour of the felicitation ceremony for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Vidhana Soudha

Footwear outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium following a stampede after a large number of fans gathered for the felicitation of IPL 2025 winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru team. (PTI)

Bengaluru Police were not in favour of the felicitation ceremony for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Vidhana Soudha, communication between the Siddaramaiah government and the Karnataka State Cricket Association accessed by CNN-News18 has revealed.

The victory celebrations for RCB, which lifted the IPL trophy after 18 years, turned tragic on Wednesday as 11 people were killed in a stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium near the Vidhan Soudha. As Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah began the first round of felicitation for the team at the steps of the Vidhan Soudha, authorities seemed unaware of the trouble brewing nearby as a sea of humanity swelled outside the stadium.

The latest communication shows that the RCB celebration at Vidhana Soudha was planned much before the finals on June 3, bursting the government’s claim that the celebrations were all last-minute events.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah had said “no one expected such a huge crowd". “The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but nearly three lakh people came," he said, adding that people had gathered at the Vidhan Soudha too but no injuries or casualties were reported.

On June 3, KSCA wrote to DPAR, seeking permission to hold a felicitation event on the grand steps of the Vidhan Soudha if RCB wins the IPL. DPAR then wrote to the police, seeking their opinion on the proposal. However, sources in the police department said the cops were not in favour of allowing the Vidhana Soudha event.

Harish Upadhya

Harish Upadhya, an Assistant Editor at CNN-News18, reports from Bengaluru. Political reporting is his forte. He also tracks India's space journey, and is passionate about environmental reporting and RTI investi...Read More

Harish Upadhya, an Assistant Editor at CNN-News18, reports from Bengaluru. Political reporting is his forte. He also tracks India's space journey, and is passionate about environmental reporting and RTI investi...

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