Eleven fans died in a stampede at an RCB victory parade last June. A year on, no one has been charged. Investigators have been unable to file the chargesheet due to interim directions from the Karnataka High Court. As Bengaluru gears up for IPL 2026, the victims' families are still waiting for someone to answer for their deaths.
The June 4, 2025 stampede occurred after the RCB hastily organised a victory parade to celebrate their maiden IPL triumph, drawing nearly two lakh people to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium premises. Eleven fans died and several others were injured in the crush that followed.
The Bengaluru Police registered cases against RCB, the then Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials, and DNA Networks, the event management firm that helped run the celebrations. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took over the probe, invoking culpable homicide among other charges.
However, on July 8, 2025, the Karnataka High Court directed the CID not to file a final report without the court’s permission. Despite the CID informing the court that it is ready with chargesheets for the stampede deaths, no clearance has been granted so far.
On March 3 this year, Justice M Nagaprasanna said that the chargesheet could not be filed until the court hears and decides the petitions filed by RCB, KSCA and DNA Entertainment Networks in June 2025 seeking to quash the FIRs. He observed that the investigation may continue, but submitting a chargesheet at this stage would not serve any purpose.
The petitions were last heard on March 23, when the High Court posted the matter for April 15.
A division bench on February 23 closed a suo motu PIL after the government submitted that it has proposed the Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing Crowd At Events And Venues Of Mass Gathering) Bill, 2025 for better crowd management at large events.
The Karnataka government on March 16, 2026, cleared Karnataka State Cricket Association to host IPL 2026 matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after completing mandated safety upgrades.
RCB has since announced a memorial for the 11 victims and enhanced compensation of Rs 25 lakh for each family. The franchise also said it will keep 11 seats empty at the Chinnaswamy Stadium this season in their memory.
A day after the tragedy, three FIRs were registered and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was asked to probe the criminality involved. The state government suspended and later reinstated three IPS officers and two policemen after the High Court took up the suo motu petition on crowd-control failures.
A judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge Justice John Michael D’Cunha has recommended legal action against officials of RCB, DNA Networks, KSCA and the Bengaluru Police.
The victims, aged between 14 and 29, included school and college students as well as young professionals. They were among thousands of fans who tried to force open the closed gates of the stadium after RCB invited supporters through social media posts to join the celebrations. The deaths were caused due to the absence of effective crowd control and emergency rescue measures.
The stampede unfolded even as the state government held its own felicitation event for the RCB team at the Vidhana Soudha, a short distance from the stadium, attended by the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister.
Eighty-four days after the tragedy, following sustained public criticism and multiple complaints, an ‘RCB Cares’ initiative was announced, offering Rs 25 lakh to each bereaved family and assistance to the injured. The timing, however, drew scepticism, with many viewing it less as an act of compassion and more as an attempt at belated damage control.
The Karnataka government had put the blame squarely on the franchise for the failures that led to the stampede. RCB issued a condolence note several hours after the tragedy and the team went silent for nearly three months. The long silence had left many fans feeling abandoned and hurt as they had expected the franchise to speak up.
