The Karnataka government has held Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) accountable for the deadly stampede that occurred during the IPL victory parade on June 4, citing the team’s unilateral decision to host the event without prior police permissions or coordination. According to the official government report submitted to the High Court, the mishandling by RCB led to a crowd surge that claimed 11 lives and injured more than 50 others near Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The report became public following a High Court directive overruling the state’s plea for confidentiality, stating there were no legal grounds to keep the findings sealed.
No formal permissions sought for victory parade
As per the report, RCB had merely informed the police about a potential victory celebration on June 3—the day the team won the IPL—rather than applying formally for permission, as required by law. “No applications in the prescribed format were submitted to the licensing authority,” the report noted. Without essential data like crowd estimates and logistical plans, police at Cubbon Park station denied permission for the gathering.
Social media callouts led to massive turnout
Despite this, RCB went ahead and made public posts starting 7:01 am on June 4, inviting fans to a “Victory Parade” from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium. By 8:55 am, a video featuring player Virat Kohli inviting fans had been posted, further fuelling public excitement.
A final announcement at 3:14 pm mentioned the availability of limited free passes—too late to curb the expectations of lakhs who had already gathered. Posts by RCB drew over 44 lakh views, contributing to an estimated crowd of over 3 lakh, massively overshooting the stadium’s 35,000 capacity.
Poor planning and miscommunication led to chaos
The report says the event’s disorganised gate management—particularly the failure to open certain gates on time—triggered panic and stampede-like situations at multiple entry points. Gates 1, 2, and 21 were broken open by the crowd in desperation, and stampedes were reported at gates 2A, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21.
Videos of spontaneous crowds further escalated public participation, stretching police forces who had to be rapidly deployed along a 14-kilometre stretch from HAL Airport to Taj West End, the team’s route before the stadium event.
Parade was not called off to avoid wider unrest
Despite the deteriorating situation, authorities allowed the event to continue—albeit for a shorter duration. The report explained this decision as necessary to prevent large-scale unrest. “Abrupt cancellation could have sparked mob violence,” it said, citing previous law-and-order breakdowns in similar contexts.
Officials balanced public safety and crowd psychology to prevent a more serious breakdown in law and order across Bengaluru.