‘Not our event’: The blame game behind Bengaluru’s deadly cricket stadium stampede

Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.

On the morning of June 4, everybody wanted to claim the victorious Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket team as their own and make it known that Bengaluru was to felicitate the team in a big way. That afternoon, 11 people, including four teenagers, died in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy stadium as fans had gathered in lakhs to see their team. 

After the initial expression of grief, the state government, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and its event manager, DNA Entertainment Private Ltd, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) began playing a round robin—each institution blaming everybody else for the tragedy.

On June 4, two separate events were held. RCB was feted on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha, followed by another event at Chinnaswamy Stadium about 2 km away. As the Vidhana Soudha event was underway, a stampede occurred outside the stadium, killing 11 people, shocking the city and putting the jubilant government on the back foot. 

A week later, there are several suspensions; three FIRs; pleas in court from arrested individuals seeking quashing of the FIRs; a suo motu PIL; a magisterial inquiry; and a judicial inquiry, all underway simultaneously. 

TNM looked at the FIRs, court filings, documents and statements made in the public domain about the stampede, and all sides seem to be intent on putting the onus of organising the two events on the others.

CM’s contradictory statements

For the first few days after the stampede, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah maintained that the state government had organised the Vidhana Soudha event. On the night of the tragedy, an irate Siddaramaiah told reporters, “Nothing happened at Vidhana Soudha. We organised the event there, but nothing untoward happened there.”

By June 8, Siddaramaiah denied that the state government was responsible for organising the events. “The KSCA secretary and treasurer came and invited me to the event. It was not a function organised by us but by them. They said the Governor has also been invited. So, I went to the (Vidhana Soudha) event. I do not know beyond this. I was not invited to the event at the stadium.” 

What the government told the court

Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, appearing for the state, argued that RCB did not take the necessary permissions to hold the June 4 victory celebration. “No permission is sought. It is an intimation letter saying we are going and doing it,” he told Justice SR Krishna Kumar. He said the organisers should have submitted an application at least seven days in advance. 

The Advocate General accused the petitioners of misleading the court by making it seem like the event was organised by the state government. “This is RCB’s function, a private function,” he said.

The government is also expected to submit a sealed cover response on Thursday, June 12, to questions raised in suo motu proceedings, including details on standard operating procedures, deployment of emergency services, and whether any formal permissions were sought for the event.

What were the police doing? 

A day before the IPL finals, the KSCA wrote to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) seeking permission for DNA Entertainment to organise a celebration for RCB in Vidhana Soudha, in case the team won. 

The DPAR, in turn, asked the Vidhana Soudha DCP to give an opinion on KSCA’s request. On the morning of June 4, the DCP wrote back saying that there was a staff shortage and that organising security at such short notice would be difficult as “lakhs of cricket fans” were expected to arrive.

A scrutiny of documents and conversations with the police suggested that the police did try to push back against hastily organising two events in such close proximity.

A source had told TNM that Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda had initially denied permission for an open-bus parade through the city. He was, however, unable to prevail over the two events being held and is said to have agreed.

The only mention so far of any communication about security arrangements at and around Chinnaswamy stadium has been in the suo motu FIR by the Cubbon Park police. The complaint filed by the now-suspended Inspector AK Girish said that KSCA submitted a request for security arrangements to be made for the RCB victory celebration programme at Chinnaswamy stadium on June 4, in case the team won the match. 

But that permission was denied, he said, as they would have to make security arrangements for the whole night if the team won. Further, he said that lakhs of fans would arrive to celebrate at the stadium, and arranging security for such crowds would require more time. He further said that despite this, there was tremendous pressure to make security arrangements at the stadium, and so on the morning of  June 4, the police prepared a bandobust plan and made hurried arrangements for the stadium.

KSCA’s defence: 'We only provided the stadium'

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) approached the court seeking to quash the FIRs against it. KSCA argued that it merely provided the Chinnaswamy Stadium to event managers, DNA Entertainment Networks Ltd, on request. KSCA contended that it followed protocol by notifying DPAR and the police and that the arrangements were made by DNA Entertainment and not them.

KSCA’s letter to the DPAR dated June 3 stated that the event at the Vidhana Soudha would be handled by DNA Networks, which would “make plans for the felicitation ceremony at the Vidhana Soudha Grand Steps.” It did not mention a stadium event. 

In its court filings, KSCA has further distanced itself from the operational side of the stadium event. It said that ticketing and gate control are handled entirely by the RCB franchise, which also retains the revenue from ticket sales. KSCA’s role, it claimed, was limited to leasing the venue and helping obtain government permissions and not organising or managing the crowd.

DNA Networks: 'We are the scapegoats for state failures'

DNA Entertainment Networks, the firm that handled logistics, asserted that they were made a scapegoat by the police to shield their own failures. The event managers said they only executed directions from the state government and RCB, and had coordinated with the police through the appropriate channels. 

Their petition seeking to quash the FIRs against them, the company said the two events were planned with the full involvement of senior government officials, including the Chief Secretary, Cabinet ministers, and even the Governor. Multiple high-level meetings were held in the run-up to June 4, and a detailed, minute-by-minute schedule was prepared and approved.

DNA Networks says the crowd influx was triggered not by ticketed attendees but by a sudden surge of fans who followed the team from the Vidhana Soudha to the stadium, without adequate police personnel to manage them.

DNA Networks said they deployed 584 private security personnel inside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, in coordination with KSCA’s security team. The firm also arranged 70 ticket validators, multiple volunteers, and set up barricades outside the stadium to regulate crowd movement. Ten ambulances were positioned, two inside and eight outside, and drinking water was made freely available. Food packets for the police were also prepared as per directions from a sub-inspector, with 2,450 meals cooked, although only 600 lunch packets were picked up.

DNA Networks argued that these efforts were part of extensive coordination with the police and other state officials. The company submitted videos to substantiate their claim that police personnel were sparsely deployed at key points outside the stadium gates. 

They argued that the suo motu complaint filed against it by Cubbon Park inspector – the very officer responsible for crowd control in the stadium’s jurisdiction – was intended to deflect accountability after the state government began hinting at disciplinary action against the police force.

The company also said that its representatives were with the Cubbon Park Inspector in the CCTV Control Room from 3.15 pm. The stadium gates, they claimed, were opened at 3:30 pm only after clearance from the police, with all security and entry arrangements in place. But due to inadequate crowd control outside, large numbers surged in, eventually breaking through the gates once the stands filled to capacity.

DNA squarely attributed the stampede to this mismatch in police deployment between the Vidhana Soudha and the stadium.

RCB’s stand: ‘We trusted the authorities’

The RCB franchise, too, has distanced itself from the organisational aspects. In court, it maintained that its role was limited to inviting fans and players to join in the celebrations, and it relied on professionals like DNA Networks and public authorities to manage logistics and security. RCB pointed out that its team was also in the CCTV control room with police officials and that the gates were opened only after clearance from the police. 

The franchise also said that in anticipation of securing their maiden title, they instructed DNA Networks on June 2, 2025, to begin necessary preparations for a post-match celebration. These preparations included arranging logistics, securing permissions, and organising a victory parade and trophy celebration at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB stated they did not have a formal written approval and submitted a news report indicating that DPAR had cleared the event. Based on oral assurances received during planning discussions involving KSCA, DNA, and the police, RCB announced the victory parade and felicitation via its official social media platforms on June 4.

RCB said only fans who had registered in advance on the official RCB website were eligible for free entry passes, which were issued on a first-come, first-served basis. These passes were explicitly capped to match the stadium’s capacity. An Instagram post outlining this controlled entry policy has been submitted as part of the court record.

TNM had earlier reported that RCB made a public announcement around 7 am on June 4. The post on RCB’s social media handles said that the team would have a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. At the time, Bengaluru city police were already stretched thin, managing post-match crowd dispersal and ongoing traffic from the previous night’s celebrations. 

According to RCB’s filing, however, the plans were abruptly altered later that morning. The police officials informed them orally that the permission earlier granted for the victory parade was being withdrawn. 

The day’s schedule then unfolded in tandem with official arrangements starting from the arrival of the RCB team in Bengaluru at 2.30 pm. According to RCB, the entire transit, from airport arrival to stadium entry, was executed with a police escort and along routes pre-approved by state authorities.