RCB celebrated inside stadium, chaos unfolded outside: 7 dead in Bengaluru stampede

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 4, 2025 18:21 IST

At least seven people were killed in a stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday evening, where fans had gathered in massive numbers to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title win. Despite the unfolding tragedy outside, the felicitation event continued inside the stadium.

The RCB team was being felicitated inside the stadium after their win over Punjab Kings in the final on Tuesday. But while the celebration went on inside, chaos unfolded outside the venue.

Thousands of fans, many waving the team’s red flags, had lined up along the streets and thronged the stadium gates to catch a glimpse of the players as they arrived in a bus. Visuals from the scene showed people climbing trees, scaling the team bus, and pushing to get through the entrance gates.

The situation turned tragic when the crowd swelled beyond control. A stampede broke out, leaving at least seven dead and several others injured. One video showed a policeman carrying an injured person to an ambulance, while another person lay unconscious on the ground as bystanders tried to help.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who reached the venue soon after news of the incident spread, said, “We are very proud of RCB and Karnataka. 18 years, a long struggle. Kohli’s loyalty has paid royalty “

Talking about the chaos outside the stadium, Shivakumar said, “I think this is not a controllable crowd. I apologise to all the people of Bengaluru and Karnataka, we wanted to take a procession, but the crowd is uncontrollable.”

The BJP blamed the Congress-led state government for the tragedy.

In a post on X, BJP Karnataka said, “7 dead. Many are battling for life after a stampede due to the irresponsibility of Congress govt. No crowd control measures. No basic arrangements. Just chaos. While innocent people died, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar were busy shooting reels & hogging limelight with cricketers. Shame on this photo-op Congress government. This is criminal negligence. Blood is on the hands of Congress govt.”