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RCB's IPL 2025 triumph celebrations ended in tragedy when a stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured dozens. Who is accountable for this devastating failure?
The city of Bengaluru erupted in celebration on Tuesday night as Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted their maiden IPL trophy after 18 years. However, by Wednesday evening, that celebration descended into grief, outrage, and fury. A stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team’s felicitation ceremony claimed 11 lives and left 33 others injured — many critically. And yet, inside the stadium, the celebrations rolled on unabated.
RCB Cheers Inside, Chaos Outside - Who Allowed This Travesty?
As lakhs of RCB fans swarmed the stadium area, eager to see their cricketing heroes, crowd control completely collapsed. The state government proceeded with a full-scale public event just hours after the team clinched its first IPL trophy. Despite Bengaluru Traffic Police canceling the open-bus parade, it was evident that the authorities was ill-prepared for such a massive gathering, with no effective crowd management and limited medical support. The tragic outcome: people crushed in a stampede, struggling to breathe, while paramedics arrived too late to save many.
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But inside the stadium, even after visuals surfaced of bodies being carried into ambulances, RCB’s celebratory function was in full swing. No official from the KSCA, BCCI, state government or the RCB management stepped in to pause or cancel the event.
RCB’s star player Virat Kohli, while delivering an emotional speech, said, “It’s no more Ee Sala Cup Namde, it’s Ee Sala Cup Namdu.” Captain Rajat Patidar echoed, “You all deserve this trophy. We all love you.”
But outside, there were sirens, screams, and silence — a scene of mass casualty.
State Govt: ‘We didn’t expect such a crowd’
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condoled the loss of lives in a stampede, but claimed that a crowd of 2 to 3 lakh people was not expected.
"A major tragedy occurred during the victory celebrations. It happened near the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased. The government will provide free treatment to the injured," the CM said.
Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, CM Siddaramaiah said, "11 died and 33 were injured in the stampede. This tragedy should not have happened. The government expresses deep sorrow over this incident."
The Karnataka CM further asserted that he has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter.
"I don't want to defend this incident. Our government will not do politics on this. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry and given 15 days' time. People even broke the gates of the stadium. There was a stampede. No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people came," CM Siddaramaiah added.
But that doesn’t explain why officials let the show go on even as bodies were being lifted off the streets.
BJP blames Congress govt: ‘You were warned, you didn’t care’
Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra launched a scathing attack on the Congress government, claiming the tragedy was entirely preventable.
"First of all, the state government, without any preparedness, should not have organised this today. If you would had seen the world cup match when India won, there was a big celebration in Mumbai also with lot of preparations. When lakhs and lakhs of people celebrated last night in Bengaluru, the state government should have thought before organising a function today itself," he stated.
He alleged that the government went ahead with the celebrations even after senior officials of the police department advised them against organising function near Vidhana Soudha.
“Senior higher officers of the police department had advised the government not to organise any function near Vidhana Soudha, but they pressurised police department and forcefully organised the function. People have pelted stones, slippers. Luckily, no tragedy has taken place near Vidhana Soudha but whereas in Chinnaswamy Stadium…,” he added.
BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and the Home Minister, labelling the tragic stampede as "state-sponsored criminal negligence and murder."
He further criticised the government's insensitivity for continuing celebrations despite the deaths, highlighting their lack of accountability.
"Today, what we have witnessed in Bengaluru outside Chinnaswamy Stadium is not just a tragic incident where innocent and precious lives have been lost. It is a state-sponsored criminal negligence and a state-sponsored murder. Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and the Home Minister are directly responsible. They should resign. On the one hand, people have died, and you are continuing with the celebration... This is your sensitivity. Congress speaks a lot, but it had nothing to say today... People were being carried on arms... The Congress government is responsible, and these three people should resign," Poonawalla said.
BCCI, IPL pass the buck. RCB states ‘amended program’
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president and Congress MP Rajeev Shukla believes the ruling party, Congress, "should not be blamed" for Wednesday's stampede. Shukla feels the stampede outside the stadium should not be "politicised" and revealed he spoke to the franchise. According to Shukla, RCB didn't expect such a huge crowd to attend the celebrations.
"This can happen in any state, and the ruling party should not be blamed for it. It should not be politicised. If this happens in a BJP-ruled state, we should not blame them. The crowd was huge. I spoke to the franchise, and they also did not think that such a huge crowd would come, and this incident happened suddenly. Efforts are being made to provide maximum help to the families of the deceased," Shukla told reporters.
"The government did stop the roadshow in order to avoid a stampede or any such situation. But it was not anticipated that a stampede would happen outside the stadium. Everybody should work together on the damage control," he added.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia stated, "When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There have been some lapses somewhere. After such a glorious ending to the IPL, this has been an anti-climax."
IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal stated that the moment he was informed about the unfolding tragedy outside the stadium, he directed the organisers to immediately wind up the event.
"Whatever inquiry that needs to be done, the concerned authorities will do that. It was not a BCCI event. It is sad and tragic. The celebrations turned into a tragedy. Our heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loves ones," Dhumal was quoted as saying in a PTI report.
"I am not even aware whether there was a planned event or unplanned event. Whether fans were supposed to come or they came on their own. When I spoke to the RCB officials, there was so much of noise inside the stadium they probably did not know what was happening outside. When I told them about it, they assured me they would wind up the event. We curtailed a game in Dharamsala (during IPL), we made sure everyone was evacuated safely. Not even person was hurt there," he said.
In another interview with ANI, Dhumal attempted to pass the buck stating, “This is a very unfortunate incident. We had no information that such an event was being planned. If such events are planned in the future, then proper arrangements should be made. Those who were sitting inside the stadium had no information about the incident.”
Meanwhile, an official statement from RCB claimed that the franchise amended their program in the wake of the stampede.
"We are deeply anguished by the unfortunate incidents that have come to light through media reports regarding public gatherings all over Bengaluru in anticipation of the team’s arrival this afternoon. The safety and well-being of everyone is of utmost importance to us. RCB mourns the tragic loss of lives and extend our heartfelt condolences to the affected families. Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our program, and followed, the guidance and advice of the local administration. We urge all our supporters to please stay safe", reads the statement.
But there was no apology. No one took responsibility for the decision to go ahead with the event even after the first deaths were confirmed.
Police Shortage in Karnataka’s Capital: A Crisis Ignored
This incident once again spotlights a critical problem dogging India’s urban police forces: severe manpower shortages and inadequate crowd control capacity that endanger public safety.
According to 2024 data, Bengaluru currently faces a severe shortage of police personnel, with 3,814 posts vacant, including 1,825 police constables (PCs) and 347 police sub-inspectors (PSIs). These vacancies have been crippling efforts to maintain law and order, especially during mass gatherings. But even more alarming is that the sanctioned police strength itself is inadequate for Bengaluru’s rapidly growing population.
The city’s population is approximately 1.4 million, but the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) recommends 170 civil police personnel per 100,000 population, implying Bengaluru should have around 21,720 police personnel to effectively maintain public safety. Currently, the state capital has just 15,475 policemen and officers, including DCPs, ACPs of Law and Order, Traffic, and Special Forces combined. This stark gap highlights why managing large-scale crowds — like those during today's RCB IPL victory celebrations — becomes an uphill battle.
Lessons from Other Cities: Managing Crowds Amidst Similar Challenges
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia pointed to past celebrations that were handled smoothly, such as the one in Mumbai after India’s T20 World Cup victory in Barbados.
"There have been IPL celebrations in the past as well, like in Kolkata last year when KKR won but nothing happened there. Same was the case when we won the T20 World Cup. There was a sea of humanity in Mumbai but nothing happened. Police and local authorities worked in tandem to ensure smooth conduct. I hope nothing more untoward happens. Even yesterday in Ahmedabad, during the IPL final, there were 120,000 people at the stadium but BCCI has a dedicated team which has done elaborate planning in coordination with local district administration and law enforcing authorities to ensure that safety and security of the spectators," Saikia added.
It's worth noting that during the T20 World Cup victory parade celebration in July 2024 last year a crowd of roughly 300,000 fans gathered at Marine Drive and Wankhede Stadium. Despite facing their own constraints, Mumbai police deployed approximately 5,000 personnel, including around 300 officers, to ensure crowd control and safety.
Strategically deployed police at key points helped regulate crowd flow. The team’s open bus was escorted by a Quick Response Team (QRT), while officers patrolled the Marine Drive promenade to deter anti-social elements. The police balanced crowd enthusiasm with safety, ensuring no stampedes or serious incidents occurred despite the massive gathering.
This wasn’t an accident. This was a disaster waiting to happen.
The RCB victory that should have been a jubilant chapter in Bengaluru’s sporting history has now become a stark reminder of systemic failure, administrative apathy, and preventable tragedy. Eleven lives lost and dozens more injured—not due to any unavoidable disaster, but because of poor planning, lack of coordination, and a glaring absence of accountability.
The government’s failure to anticipate crowd dynamics, the police department’s inability to manage the turnout, and the organisers’ decision to continue celebrations amid chaos outside the stadium paint a grim picture of misplaced priorities. The fact that festivities carried on as families mourned just metres away is a sobering indictment of insensitivity at every level — political, institutional, and administrative.
A cricket team won its first trophy after 18 years. But for 11 families, that trophy now shines in blood. Will anyone be held accountable—or will this be lost in the noise of celebration?
(With inputs from ANI)
