A MAJOR tragedy that had been waiting to happen in the world of IPL cricket unfolded in Bengaluru on June 4. The victory celebration of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), after winning the IPL finals, was jointly organised by RCB and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

While the stadium has a seating capacity of only 35,000, nearly 2 lakh people gathered to join the celebrations. This massive turnout, coupled with a series of management blunders, resulted in a deadly stampede outside the stadium, claiming the lives of eleven people – six men and five women. Shockingly, nine of the deceased were under 20 years of age. 64 others were seriously injured.

The tragic build-up began on June 3. RCB had reached the IPL finals for the fourth time and, after a wait of 18 years, was widely expected to clinch the title. As RCB closed in on victory, wild celebrations erupted across Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka. Fans took to the streets, resulting in traffic jams, minor accidents, and even clashes with police. These incidents led to two deaths and several injuries that night.

Sensing an opportunity to capitalise on the frenzy, the government, political leaders, the RCB franchise, KSCA, and the event management company DNA got involved. Plans were drawn up for a grand celebration, including a victory procession in an open-top bus and a massive event at the stadium.

WARNINGS IGNORED

According to the FIR filed after the incident, on June 3 at 6 pm, KSCA CEO Shubendu Ghosh submitted a request to Inspector Girish of the Cubbon Park Police Station, seeking permission and security arrangements for the June 4 celebration at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Inspector Girish responded with concern. He noted that if RCB won, fans would celebrate throughout the night, and warned that any official event would draw lakhs of people, severely disrupting public movement. He clearly stated that more time was needed to arrange adequate security and therefore denied permission.

Despite the police denial, pressure mounted from certain quarters in the government, political circles, RCB, and KSCA. Eventually, bowing to this pressure, officials decided to skip the open-top bus parade but proceed with celebrations at Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium. This decision was taken in defiance of police advice and suggestions from more cautious voices within the government and party leadership, who had urged postponing the event to allow time for proper arrangements.

BJP, JD(S) DOUBLESPEAK

The BJP initially criticised the cancellation of the open-top parade. A post from 'BJP Karnataka' on Facebook accused the Congress government of "disappointing fans" and claimed, “The home minister has proven his incompetence.” The JD(S) also made similar criticisms. However, after the stampede, the BJP changed its tone, blaming the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, and demanded their resignations. The JD(S) again echoed the BJP’s call for resignations. This sequence of events has exposed the doublespeak of both parties.

In the wave of political whataboutery that followed, CM Siddaramaiah asked whether the Uttar Pradesh CM or any minister had taken responsibility or resigned following the stampede and much larger tragedy during the recent Kumbh Mela.

RCB’s official 'X' (formerly Twitter) account initially called on fans to participate in the June 4 celebration at the stadium and in the parade from Vidhana Soudha. RCB also announced the availability of entry passes on its website. The government, ignoring police warnings, declared that the team would be felicitated on the steps of Vidhana Soudha. Supporting statements from D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah soon followed. News of the felicitation spread rapidly, but the cancellation of the open-top parade was not clearly communicated. Media and social media carried conflicting messages, further fuelling confusion.

The RCB team landed in Bengaluru at 2:45 pm. D K Shivakumar received them at HAL Airport and brought them to the city under special security arrangements. Videos of their arrival went viral on TV and social media, fuelling fan frenzy and triggering a mass influx of supporters to the celebration sites.

STAMPEDE OUTSIDE, CELEBRATIONS INSIDE

The state government, including the Governor, CM, and Deputy CM, went ahead with the team’s felicitation at Vidhana Soudha. Reportedly, to ensure a larger crowd outside Vidhana Soudha, the stadium gates were kept closed until after 3 pm, and even then, only one gate was opened at a time. While the stadium's capacity is just 35,000, an estimated 2 lakh people had gathered outside. As tension built, the gates were shut again, leading to pushing, shoving, and people climbing fences. This chaos resulted in multiple stampedes at various gates.

It was the responsibility of the government and the organisers to anticipate crowd size and behaviour, and to make appropriate safety arrangements. Victims later reported that medical assistance was delayed by hours, highlighting a complete failure on the part of the administration and the cricketing authorities to provide even basic crowd control and emergency response.

While people were dying and gasping for breath outside the stadium, the celebrations continued inside. RCB and KSCA proceeded with the event. As ambulances wailed outside, music and cheers echoed within. These starkly contrasting scenes were deeply disturbing. As Virat Kohli and the team paraded the trophy around the field, fans outside were fighting for their lives. Police struggled to manage the situation. It is hard to believe that no one inside was aware of the unfolding tragedy – and even if they weren’t, the celebration should never have continued in the face of such disaster.

Following public outrage, the government took swift action by suspending several senior police officers, including the Police Commissioner of Bengaluru. Intelligence heads and key officers in the city were transferred, and the chief minister's political secretary,                               K Govindaraju, was removed from his post. FIRs were filed against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and the event management company DNA. Some arrests were made, and a judicial inquiry was ordered. Compensation was announced for the families of the victims.

Videos of the stampede exposed glaring lapses in security and event management. Given the gravity of the incident, the High Court took suo motu cognizance and launched an immediate investigation the very next day. The court raised several critical questions and highlighted major failures in planning, which the state government partially admitted. The court directed the government to submit a comprehensive report by June 10.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

This tragedy raises serious questions about responsibility. Based on the information currently available, the timing of the event was a critical factor. The celebrations should not have been held on June 4 and should have been scheduled later in the week, allowing time for proper preparation. All those who pushed for the immediate celebration bear responsibility.

The culpability of KSCA, RCB, and DNA is clear. They announced the event without securing police permission and opened online registration for stadium passes. However, the website repeatedly crashed. Had it worked and shown that all seats were filled, it might have discouraged additional crowds from gathering near the stadium. KSCA and RCB also failed to use media platforms to clearly inform fans that the venue was at full capacity.

As the CPI(M) Karnataka state committee rightly noted, the state government’s attempt to politicise the event was a major contributing factor. Celebrations had already occurred spontaneously across the city and state. The government should have firmly advised KSCA and RCB to delay the official event until adequate logistical and security arrangements could be made. Instead, it permitted the celebration with the clear intention of gaining political mileage from the commercialisation and privatisation of cricket.

RCB, a corporate franchise in the cricket entertainment business, has no direct link to Karnataka or Bengaluru. Few players in the team are from Karnataka. The team does not represent the state in any meaningful way. The government had earlier rejected the request for an open-top bus parade – a sound decision. Ironically, the same government has never felicitated the Karnataka Ranji Trophy team even after its victories, yet it chose to officially felicitate RCB.

The deputy chief minister welcomed the RCB team at the airport, and the government went ahead with an open felicitation ceremony at the steps of Vidhana Soudha, attended by the CM, Deputy CM, and Governor. Some argue – though it is debatable – that the large crowd was drawn primarily by the government-organised public function. Had the stadium entry been limited to online passes that functioned properly, and had the open public event been avoided, the stampede might have been prevented.

The government now denies that the police ever granted permission for the stadium celebrations and refuses to take responsibility for the tragedy. It also points out that the function at Vidhana Soudha concluded without any incident. However, it failed to formally communicate the denial of permission to KSCA and RCB. In fact, one of the reasons cited for suspending police officers was their failure to issue a written denial of permission.

Meanwhile, KSCA and RCB continued promoting the event in the media. Police and administration made no public announcement clarifying that no permission had been granted. Circumstantial evidence suggests that certain senior ministers and Congress leaders may have provided tacit approval for the event, bypassing the more cautious advice of some elements within the police, administrative ranks, and even within the party itself. Even after this informal clearance, no emergency measures were taken to ensure adequate security, parking, crowd management, or medical facilities.

The government’s attempt to shift the entire responsibility onto the police and suspend IPS officers has not gone down well – neither with the police force nor with the public. One of the suspended IPS officers has approached the Central Administrative Tribunal, arguing that the suspension was issued without any prior inquiry. The Union BJP government is reportedly considering using its powers to withhold ratification of the suspension. Meanwhile, RCB and KSCA are also seeking judicial intervention. These developments have triggered internal clashes within the state Congress party and the ministry.

The main opposition parties, BJP and JD(S), also failed to act responsibly. Both sought to capitalise on the fanfare surrounding RCB and engaged in doublespeak before and after the tragedy, using the incident for political point-scoring. Media – especially television and social media – contributed to the chaos by amplifying contradictory and confusing information about the event, often without concern for the consequences. It is important to note that the media, which benefits heavily during the IPL season, plays a key role in generating and sustaining the hype.

Ultimately, KSCA, RCB, DNA, large sections of the media, and the state government must be held accountable for the stampede deaths. Individual responsibility must be fixed, and those responsible must face appropriate consequences. This tragedy should serve as a wake-up call. A thorough, transparent investigation and exemplary punitive action are essential to prevent such incidents in the future. Standard operating procedures must be developed and strictly enforced for public events of this scale. Those who organised a celebration without ensuring basic safety measures must be held accountable. Victory celebrations should never come at the cost of human lives – otherwise, such man-made disasters will recur, turning parades of triumph into scenes of mourning.

Cricket and politics in India have long had a cozy relationship. Cricketers with mass appeal are often courted by political parties after retirement, while cricket associations are frequently managed by politicians. However, the Indian Premier League (IPL) – a product of the neoliberal era – has taken this entanglement to a new level. Corporates now enjoy deep ties with both IPL and the political establishment.

The IPL is hardly about cricket anymore. It is a multi-billion-rupee entertainment and commercial venture. Franchise teams are owned by large corporations. The BCCI, which operates the IPL and generates revenues exceeding Rs 5,300 crore, remains exempt from taxes. The IPL ecosystem – comprising player auctions, media sponsorships, brand endorsements, advertisements, ticket sales, merchandise, and legal and illegal betting platforms like Dream11 and MyCircle – has become a sprawling commercial enterprise.

It manufactures mass hysteria and celebrity worship, particularly among the youth, under the guise of sports. For corporations and the ruling elite, it serves as an ideal vehicle to distract people from real-life concerns. Naturally, ruling-class politicians are eager to ride this wave, extracting political mileage from IPL events whenever possible. In their relentless pursuit of profit and popularity, both have repeatedly shown a willingness to put public safety at risk. That is exactly what happened in Bengaluru on June 4 – a tragedy born of a combustible mix of corporate greed, political opportunism, and administrative failure. Given the nature of the IPL and its political entanglements, it was a disaster waiting to happen. And when the given combination of circumstances came together, it did on June 4.

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