 "Virat Kohli and the rest of the RCB team were being felicitated while a stampede broke out, which left 11 dead. Image: AP/Reuters")
Bengaluru has been in shock after the tragic stampede at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people and injured several others during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory parade on June 4. The incident occurred after RCB won their maiden IPL title on June 3 and travelled to Bengaluru the next day to celebrate with fans.
Meanwhile, the blame game continues as no one is ready to take responsibility for what happened on that tragic day. A status report submitted to the Karnataka High Court by the state government has now blamed RCB , their event partner DNA Networks Pvt Ltd, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for organising the celebrations without proper permission or safety planning.
Govt report blames RCB, KSCA, and organisers
The report revealed that just hours before the IPL final between RCB and Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, KSCA sent only an intimation letter to the Cubbon Park police. It mentioned that a victory parade might be held if RCB won the title, but it was not a formal permission request as required by law.
Police later denied permission due to safety concerns. Despite this, RCB went ahead and announced the ‘Victory Parade’ on social media early on June 4. Posts about the parade went viral, with millions of views, and large crowds began gathering even before the final confirmation came in the afternoon. Free entry for fans in the stadium was announced.
The crowd was too big to handle and because of the lack of coordination, a deadly stampede occurred at the gates of Chinnaswamy. After the incident, the Karnataka government suspended five police officers, including senior IPS officers. Among them was Vikash Kumar Vikash, who later challenged his suspension before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
Karnataka govt defends suspension of officials
According to PTI, the government has told the High Court that Vikash and other officers behaved like “servants of RCB” instead of acting responsibly. Senior Counsel PS Rajagopal argued that the officers should have told RCB to get proper permission. Instead, they rushed to make security arrangements without informing their superiors, which caused operational lapses.
Rajagopal also criticised the CAT’s order reinstating Vikash. The Tribunal had said that the police cannot be expected to perform miracles in less than 12 hours and that RCB’s sudden social media announcements were the main reason for the crowd surge. The government argued that the Tribunal’s remarks failed to hold the officers accountable.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsInterestingly, Karnataka’s Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar felicitated the RCB team at the Vidhana Soudha before they were allowed to go to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Shivakumar even joined the celebrations at the stadium despite having information about the tragedy.