As the families of the deceased demand accountability, there is urgent need for strict safety protocols
The tragic stampede at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 has left the city shaken and mourning. What was meant to be a grand celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) first IPL title win in 18 years turned into a devastating catastrophe, claiming the lives of 11 innocent fans and injuring many more. The event, which drew an overwhelming crowd of over 2.5 lakh people to a stadium with a maximum capacity of just 33,000, became a nightmare due to a fatal combination of poor planning, political grandstanding, and lack of co-ordination. The stampede broke out outside Gate 3 of the stadium, where the surge of the crowd led to people being crushed and trampled. It was not merely a case of over-enthusiastic fans, but a structural and administrative failure involving both the cricket franchise and the state Government. Preliminary investigations reveal that the tragedy was the result of a breakdown in communication and responsibility.
RCB had announced a victory parade early on the morning of June 4 through social media, despite not having secured the mandatory police permissions under the Karnataka Police Act. Their request for a parade, made the previous night, had already been rejected by the police due to the risk of a massive crowd. Regardless, the franchise went ahead with their announcement, and by 9 am the information had gone viral across platforms, bringing tens of thousands of fans to the streets. Simultaneously, the Karnataka Government decided to hold its own felicitation event for the RCB team at the Vidhana Soudha, just a kilometre away from the stadium, at nearly the same time. This resulted in the Bengaluru police being stretched beyond its capacity.
Officers had already been on duty late into the night due to the IPL finals, and were now expected to provide security for the team’s airport arrival, transport, felicitation at the Vidhana Soudha, and the stadium event — all on short notice and with limited manpower. An FIR has now been registered against RCB, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and a private event management company called DNA Events for negligence. The Karnataka Government has since ordered a full inquiry into the incident. The High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the tragedy and asked for explanations from all involved parties. Politicians have not escaped scrutiny in the aftermath. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who had taken the initiative to felicitate the team, attended both the Government and stadium events. This tragedy must serve as a wake-up call.
It highlights the dangers of allowing celebrations to go ahead without adequate safety checks, co-ordination, and crowd management. What happened on June 4 was not an accident — it was a preventable disaster born out of administrative chaos and competing egos. No public celebration should ever proceed without thorough planning, clear communication, and above all, respect for human life. The victory of a cricket team is meant to unite, uplift, and inspire — not become a day of mourning. The hope now is that lessons are learnt, responsibilities are fixed, and that never again will joy turn so swiftly into sorrow.
