Poonam Nath

June 4 stampede: Karnataka blames RCB's social media posts for the unfortunate tragedy

Digital Desk: The Karnataka High Court has ordered the state government to make public its status report on the stampede that occurred outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team's first Indian Premier League (IPL) title win.

The rush claimed the lives of 11 people and injured almost 50. The state administration demanded confidentiality, but the court ruled that there were no legal reasons for it and that the reports were "facts as perceived" by the government. The report has since been made public.

The court has also ordered the state government to provide the reports to the other parties engaged in the dispute, which include the RCB franchise, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and DNA Entertainment Networks, the Red and Gold franchise's event partners.

State Govt. report on RCB Management's Intimation of Victory Parade

• RCB management informed police about a possible victory parade on June 3, the day RCB won the IPL after an 18-year trophy drought.

• The report states that this was an intimation, not a requisition for permission as required under the law.

• Permissions must be sought at least seven days before the event.

• The PI of the Cubbon Park Police Station did not grant permission to the request made by KSCA on 03.06.2025 due to lack of information regarding the expected gathering, arrangements, and possible bottlenecks.

According to the report, RCB uploaded a picture on its official social media accounts at 7:01 AM the following day, "informing that there is free entry for people and inviting the public to participate in the Victory Parade, which would commence at Vidhana Soudha and conclude at Chinnaswamy Stadium," without first consulting the police.

This information was reiterated in another post at 8 AM. "Thereafter, on 04.06.2025 at 8:55 AM, the RCB posted a video clip of Mr. Virat Kohli, a well-known member of the RCB team, on RCB's official handle @Rcbtweets on X, stating that the team planned to celebrate this victory with the people of Bengaluru city and RCB fans on 04.06.2025 in Bengaluru."

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) announced on June 4, 2024, that they would be holding a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium, with festivities to follow.

Based on RCB's previous posts, which attracted a lot of engagement and garnered 44 lakh views, the event was open to everyone. With an estimated crowd size of over 3,000, this resulted in a public gathering of over 3,000,000 people.

Around 9.66 lakh people were transported by the BMRCL on June 4, 2025, with an average daily ridership of about 6 lakh people. Those who traveled by foot, public transportation, and private means are included in the estimated crowd size.

In addition, a sizable crowd gathered to see the team members along the 14-kilometer stretch of roads that connected HAL Airport to Taj West End. In order to control crowds and avoid any accidents, a large number of police officers had to be deployed.

Video footage of this impromptu crowding, according to the report, went viral on social media, intensifying the mood and drawing even more people to the stadium and on the way there.

On June 4, over 3,000 people congregated near Chinnaswamy Stadium, exceeding the stadium's capacity of 35,000. The throng was mostly drawn by the RCB/organisers' assertions that admittance to the event would be free for all.

However, at 3.14 PM, the RCB and other organisers stated that entrance would be via a limited pass, provoking uncertainty and mayhem among the people. The state administration alleged that the RCB, DNA, and KSCA did not work together efficiently, resulting in mismanagement at the entry gates and delayed openings, which caused a stampede and seven police injuries.

The police permitted a limited part of the event to go place under controlled circumstances in order to stop additional disturbances. Due to the organizers' utter incompetence, the crowd forced its way into the stadium by smashing up Gate Nos. 1, 2, and 21 after the gate management organizers failed to open the gates in a coordinated manner and at the proper time.