What was meant to be a moment of jubilation for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and their fans turned into a nightmare on June 4, as a stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left over 50 injured. Now, a judicial inquiry has squarely blamed the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), RCB, the Bengaluru Police, and event organiser DNA Entertainment for the deadly mishap.
Joint failure by RCB, KSCA & police
According to India Today, the inquiry, led by retired Justice John Michael D’Cunha, found “gross negligence and dereliction of duty” across the board. The report, submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, points to a complete failure in planning and coordination, despite prior awareness of the logistical and crowd-control challenges.
Thousands had gathered near the stadium, many lured by social media promotions and the promise of free entry to the IPL victory celebration. At the same time, a state-hosted felicitation event was underway at Vidhana Soudha. However, a grand ceremony was announced at the home of RCB, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Lakhs of people gathered, scattering outside the stadium. In a stadium with less than 40,000 capacity, approximately 250,000 gathered, creating a havoc.
Only 79 police for lakhs of fans….
The most damning findings were related to the event’s security lapses. The commission revealed that only 79 police personnel were deployed inside the venue, with no arrangement made outside to manage the massive influx of fans. Even basic medical preparedness was lacking as there were no ambulances on site when the crowd surge happened at 3:25 pm.
The report further noted delayed responses from top police officers. The Joint Commissioner of Police arrived more than half an hour after the incident, while the Police Commissioner was informed almost two hours later.
The report will be presented to the state cabinet on July 17, where accountability decisions will be discussed. FIRs have already been filed against RCB, KSCA, and DNA Entertainment, while five senior police officers, including the former Bengaluru Police Commissioner, were suspended earlier. Meanwhile, the BCCI also sent a show-cause notice to RCB.
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