The anatomy of a stampede in Bengaluru

Since 2008, when the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off, the fans of the team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have pined for the elusive cup, chanting “ee sala cup namde” (the cup will be ours this time). As RCB finally won on the night of June 3 in Ahmedabad, an unprecedented fan frenzy broke out on the streets of Bengaluru. Thousands of youth gathered on the streets dancing and chanting a modified version of their slogan — “Ee sala cup namdu” (the cup is ours this time).

With heady joy came rowdy behaviour. Those on the road blocked traffic, forced truck drivers to get down and dance or honk continuously, so that they could dance to the rhythm. There were even reports of ambulances being stuck amid this raucous celebration. The Bengaluru City Police, even after deploying all their resources, had a tough time controlling the midnight mayhem. It was like the City never slept that night. 

Minutes after winning the match, RCB player Virat Kohli, who has been with the team since its first edition, announced that the team would “paint Bengaluru red tomorrow.” With this, the stage was set and expectations raised high for a big bash with the team in Bengaluru the next day.

Everyone seemed to want a moment in the sun and bask in the team’s glory. As the Congress-led Karnataka government jumped on the bandwagon with the RCB team franchise, their event managers and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the reported advice of the police force to postpone the celebrations by a few days, citing lack of time to prepare, seems to have fallen on deaf ears. 

Also read: How what was to be a victory celebration ended in a tragedy

As lakhs of fans gathered on the streets of Bengaluru on June 4 to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers, chaos reigned and all hell broke loose. Even as the 17-year-long dream finally became a reality, in a cruel twist, 11 fans (ironically the size of a cricket team) lost their lives in a stampede at the gates of M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the RCB team’s home ground. Over 56 were injured.

There was a great rush to fix accountability (and evade responsibility too) and heads began to roll. In an unprecedented move, the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner too was suspended.

Were the warning signs of this tragedy contained within the previous night and the morning’s euphoria that the authorities failed to sense?

Chaos and confusion

The previous night’s excitement spilt over to the next day as the official social media account of RCB at 7 a.m. announced a victory parade in the city later in the day, which it reiterated at 8 a.m. By noon, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a felicitation for the RCB team on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, the State Secretariat. Both events, given wide publicity by television channels which had begun wall-to-wall coverage since RCB won the match the previous night, promised an unrestricted platform for the fans to catch a glimpse of cricketers. Meanwhile, KSCA was planning another event to felicitate the RCB team at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

But the Bengaluru City Police were hellbent on not allowing a victory parade in the city, for they feared overcrowding, threats to the security of the players and lack of time to prepare. Following a meeting with the police officials, Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara announced that there will be no victory parade by around noon. Around the same time, Bengaluru Traffic Police also announced that while there will be no victory parade, a felicitation for the team will be held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium from 5 p.m. and the entry will be only for ticket or pass holders only.

But this did not clear things up. At 3.14 p.m., RCB again announced a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Government functionaries continued to make contrary announcements about the victory parade throughout the day. For instance, during preparations for the Vidhana Soudha event, G. Satyavathi, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), told media persons that Vidhana Soudha was only a “starting point” for the victory parade and appealed to fans not to congregate at the high-security installation and instead congregate at the stadium. Bengaluru Traffic Police, which said there will be no victory parade at noon, said around 3.30 p.m. that they had made preparations for the same “in case it happens.”

Sources in the police said other functionaries of the government, apart from the Chief Minister and the Home Minister, were insistent on a victory parade and there was immense pressure to allow it. Police are reported to have advised the government to organise a victory parade on Sunday, June 8, as that would give them ample time to prepare and traffic disruption would also be minimal. But no one seemed to have been in the mood to listen that day. 

An open air felicitation to the team on the steps of Vidhana Soudha and confused messaging over a victory parade by the team brought over 2.5 lakh people onto the streets around the stadium, eventually leading to a stampede that left 11 dead. 

All things went wrong 

All that could go wrong seemed to have gone wrong at the stadium where lakhs converged to catch a glimpse of the RCB team on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) afternoon. The announcement of free tickets/passes to be downloaded from the RCB website, as late as 3.14 p.m., and rumours that passes were being issued at the stadium led to a mad rush at the stadium.

Throughout the day, fans were in a state of confusion due to the changing nature of the announcements. Regardless, they had one goal: to get a glimpse of their favourite players and the trophy which had eluded the team for the last 17 seasons.

Editorial | ​Trampled over: On the RCB cup celebration and Bengaluru stampede

A look at the socio-economic profile of the victims of the stampede shows that many of them were from weaker socioeconomic backgrounds and this was their one chance to get inside the stadium or see the players whom they had adored for so long. For instance, among the 11 dead was Manoj Kumar, a 20-year-old BBA student whose father, Devaraj N.T., is a pani puri vendor. There was Shivalingu Chandappa, 17, whose father Honnappa is a labourer in Yadgir district in north Karnataka.

Also read: Tamil Nadu woman techie among 11 victims in Bengaluru stampede

While the stadium’s seating capacity is around 32,000, the number of fans who gathered crossed 2.5 lakh, according to police estimates. There were only 1318 police personnel at the stadium, the government’s affidavit submitted to the High Court later reveals. The affidavit also shows that the usual deployment for a match at the stadium is 789. Clearly, the deployment for June 4 was woefully inadequate and the underestimation of the crowds that could gather at the stadium was colossal. It has now also emerged that the senior police official tasked with security at the stadium was not present at the spot when the stampede happened and was instead at the Vidhana Soudha event. “With no senior jurisdictional officers at the spot, no decision on lathi charge and dispersing the crowds was taken,” a senior official said. 

Desperate rush

According to the people who were stuck in the crowds near the various entry gates of the stadium, things turned bad when the gates were opened a little after 3 p.m. Among the lakhs who had gathered, very few had passes and the rest were desperate to get in. Eyewitnesses described it as a near-death experience as people just fell onto each other and others stepped on them without even realising it. The police kept urging the crowds on megaphones to disperse, but the crowd paid no heed.

“I do not know if it was adrenaline, but I saw people jumping over the metal fence of the Stadium without even realising that they were getting pierced and hurt. Right in front of me, I saw people stepping on a child and not even sparing a thought. It was manic behaviour,” Chandrashekhar Raju, who was present near one of the Stadium gates with his wife, recalled.

The situation worsened after a batch of people got in and the stadium gates were closed at around 4.15 p.m. Another eyewitness, Sujatha (name changed on request) said that she could see people fainting, some attempting to provide CPR to their companions and police running around carrying injured persons, especially children, in their arms. “It was very evident that there were no medical camps set up near the stadium even though a large crowd was expected. There were no drinking water facilities or safety islands for women. There was no regard for age or gender that day as I saw people pushing and stamping women, children and senior citizens alike. There was so much panic in the air and people kept shouting and even if one wanted to pull out of the crowd and get to a safe space, it was impossible.” 

Casualty fills up

Soon, the casualty divisions of nearby hospitals had filled up with people who had lost consciousness, suffered fractures, and suffered dehydration, among other issues. Getting people to hospitals was a task in itself that evening, as the traffic on all the nearby roads, including Queens Road, Cubbon Road and M.G. Road, were all gridlocked with traffic.

“We were told by some volunteers that there were two ambulances parked near the Stadium, and they were in no way enough for the mammoth crowd that was there. It was so difficult for ambulances to reach the stampede site considering the sea of people and vehicles. It was heartbreaking to watch police and volunteers carry people to ambulances as there were no stretchers available,” said Prakash Gowda, who was in the crowd near Gate 10 of the Stadium.

Felicitation goes on

Even as this tragedy unfolded at the gates of the stadium, the team was felicitated by CM Siddaramaiah and Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha. On the stage were sons and grandsons of multiple government functionaries, including the Chief Minister, whose grandson had come with him, to have a moment with Virat Kohli and others.

Following the event, it was even announced on the mic appealing to over a lakh fans who had gathered to move towards the stadium. Despite the tragedy outside, the RCB team proceeded to the Stadium where they held victory celebrations in which Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar also participated. 

The later hours of the evening were gut-wrenching as bereaved families arrived at the hospitals to recognise the bodies of their loved ones. All of the deceased were young and under the age of 30. The parents of Bhoomik, 20, who had come to the stadium without informing them, were inconsolable. In fact, many of the injured youths and even deceased, mostly students, had come to the stadium without informing their parents. The deceased included three teenagers. 

The fallout and blame game 

Hours after the tragedy, Siddaramaiah visited the hospitals and later held a press conference to announce that 11 were dead and 33 were injured in the stampede. The number of injured later climbed to 56. He announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident and compensation for the families of the deceased. 

Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had earlier in the day condemned the State government’s inability to hold a victory parade, held the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister responsible for the mishap. It accused the Congress government of trying to bask in the reflected glory and popularity of the RCB team for political gains but failing to make adequate arrangements for the same. 

The following day, June 5, the High Court of Karnataka took up a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding the mishap and posed nine questions to the State government, regarding security arrangements, estimation of crowds that would gather, medical arrangements made, permissions for the events, etc. Following this, the city police took up a suo motu case against the RCB franchise, their event management firm DNA Entertainment Private Limited and KSCA authorities, booking them for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The same day the state cabinet met in the evening, discussed the issue reportedly threadbare, and later in the day the Chief Minister announced the suspension of all police officials responsible for the Cubbon Park jurisdiction where the stampede took place, from the police inspector to Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, shifting the blame to the police. 

Also read: Seemanth Kumar Singh appointed as new Bengaluru city police chief

“The CEO of RCB had intimated Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City on June 3 about holding the victory parade and celebrations on June 4. However, the office of Police Commissioner failed to give written reply to the Organizers, rejecting the permission on the grounds of lack of time to prepare for such a huge event. The RCB and the Cricket Association went ahead to tweet about the celebrations inviting the fans to Chinnaswamy stadium without going through the usual practice of issue of tickets or passes. Despite the knowledge of these developments and expectation of huge turnout of cricket fans by the Police, steps were not taken to either have the event organized systematically at the stadium or give adequate information to the public to take necessary precautions for their safety or provide additional Police force for appropriate crowd management,” the Police Commissioner’s suspension order read. 

It further said the commissioner did not discuss the situation “with the higher-ups for taking necessary guidance and advice in the matter.” CM Siddaramaiah also said the commissioner had not apprised him of the security situation. 

The same night, city police had a change of guard and within hours, four persons of RCB and DNA Entertainment Private Limited were arrested. However, the High Court of Karnataka subsequently declared the arrests “illegal” and directed the immediate release of the arrested persons on interim bail.

Backlash 

Amidst reports that the political leadership overruled the police advice over RCB victory celebrations, there has been an outpouring of support for the police, especially former commissioner B. Dayananda, from the public, even as opposition has alleged the police have been made scapegoats. “Karnataka’s ruling politicians and cricket administrators are jointly responsible for Wednesday’s tragedy. Their greedy lust for reflected glory led to it. To make an outstanding officer a scapegoat is reprehensible,” Ramachandra Guha, Bengaluru-based historian who has extensively written on cricket, said on social media. 

At least three former Bengaluru Police Commissioners came out in public against the unprecedented move to suspend the commissioner, arguing not only have the police been made scapegoats, but also the office of the Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police who commands a force of 17,000 personnel undermined.

The Chief Minister’s statement that no untoward incident happened at Vidhana Soudha where the State government felicitated the RCB team has been ridiculed by the opposition and drawn much ire from other quarters as well. Siddaramaiah also sacked his political secretary K. Govindaraj, reportedly over his alleged role in organising RCB victory celebrations and shunted out the state intelligence chief. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister were even summoned by the Congress high command where the central leadership reportedly expressed unhappiness over how the entire fiasco was handled. 

However, a senior Minister hit back, arguing there were indeed many lapses on the part of the police and the government was right to take action against them for the mishap. “The city police had been approached for three events on June 3, even before the finals were played — a felicitation on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, a victory parade and celebrations at the stadium if RCB wins the match. So the argument that they did not have time to prepare doesn’t hold water. The police opposed the victory parade and as per their wish, it did not happen. They inexplicably failed to anticipate the large crowds that gathered and make adequate security deployment for the same,” he argued. 

Responding to BJP’s demands for CM Siddaramaiah’s resignation over the tragedy, IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge reminded the BJP that the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government had been criticised by the judiciary for its failure to compensate the victims of the stampede during the Kumbh Mela, and yet, none had resigned.

A bitter aftertaste 

The stampede that killed 11 RCB fans has left a bitter aftertaste for fans whose joy knew no bounds at the team’s victory after a long wait of 17 years. Within 24 hours, these fans went from celebrating the victory to mourning the tragic loss of their fellow fans. They say that the situation could have been handled better by all the stakeholders, and even said that if the event was delayed by a day or two, they would not have minded. 

“I was a child when I started supporting RCB and today I am a working professional. For people of my generation, the dream of RCB clinching the league title grew with us. To see people from the same age group lose their lives while celebrating the team made me profoundly sad. The State machinery, the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the RCB management owed more to the fans,” said Sripriya Vasu, a fan of the team from Bengaluru.

Published - June 14, 2025 06:20 pm IST