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Following their historic win in the TATA IPL on June 3, 2025, excitement was high as the world looked forward to RCB’s grand victory parade in Bengaluru. However, what began as a moment of celebration quickly spiraled into chaos, drawing severe criticism towards both RCB and the Karnataka Government.
The Reason for the Bangalore Stampede
On June 4, 2025, as RCB returned to Bengaluru to celebrate their historic maiden IPL title, thousands of fans gathered outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes. However, due to fears of traffic congestion, Bengaluru Traffic Police canceled the planned open bus parade. RCB announced on X that a celebratory ceremony would instead be held at the stadium at 5 PM. Before that, the team briefly checked in at a hotel and visited Vidhan Soudha, where the Chief Minister and the state government felicitated them.
Meanwhile, the crowd at the stadium had surged to uncontrollable numbers, catching the police, security forces, and organizers off guard. As celebrations took place inside, chaos unfolded outside, with many fans crushed in the stampede-like conditions. RCB, event manager DNA, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) were heavily criticized for poor crowd control.
Casualties and Injured
The tragedy left 11 dead and 47 injured, namely in the age group of 20-30 years. Whereas, a fourteen year old also lost her life in the incident- Divyanshi (14), Doresha (32), Bhoomik (20), Sahana (24), Akshata (27), Manoj (33), Shravan (20), Devi (29), Shivalinga (17) and Chinmayi (19) and Prajwal (20).
Kolar deputy commissioner MR Ravi visited the home of Sahana, one of the 11 people who died. Her mother broke down as she was offered the cheque of Rs 25 lakh compensation by the officer. Sahana's father, who was trying to hold back his tears, burst out crying as soon as he touched the cheque. As other family members comforted them, the parents were seen weeping uncontrollably.
Watch the full video of the victims' families!
The Blame Game
Just like any other mismanagement issue, the political parties have been at each other's throats, blaming each other for the mishap. But what is absent in all the Stampede-related debates is accountability.
The State Government of Karnataka accused the police of not taking proper precautions to handle the event. Three top police officers, including the city police commissioner, were suspended following the incident. Also, four people, including the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Marketing Head and DNA Event Management Company staff, were arrested.
Karnataka Chief Minister in his address said, “We didn't organise the event, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) did...The secretary and treasurer of KSCA came and invited me to the event...therefore I went,".
He also added that “a suitable location must be identified before making any decisions of shifting the Stadium for security reasons. The government is now focused on ensuring that such an incident never happens again and improving safety measures at large-scale public events in the future.”
Watch Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah’s address on the Bangalore Stampede!.
Compensation and Reactions
The Karnataka Government has announced a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to all the families who lost their loved ones in the stampede. But due to high public pressure, the Government increased the compensation amount to Rs. 25 Lakh.
Many celebrities, the RCB team members, and management expressed their condolences through their social media pages.
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar mentioned in an interview, “What a tragedy? The loss of lives due to a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium is heartbreaking indeed. All that those people wanted was a glimpse of the players who had given them so much joy and happiness over the years, especially in the last two months.”
Netizens have also been criticising the RCB members for not visiting the families of the Victims and expressing their condolences. In contrast, many A-list cricketers have also been silent on the topic.
Read about Sunil Gavaskar’s reaction to the Bangalore Stampede!
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