Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has directly blamed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the tragic stampede that occurred during its IPL victory parade outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which left 11 dead and several others injured.
The Karnataka government said in its status report submitted to the High Court that the RCB invited people for a victory parade to Chinnaswamy stadium “unilaterally” and “without consultation or permission” from city police.
In its report, the Karnataka government also mentioned a video clip by cricketer Virat Kohli appealing fans to attend the free-entry celebration as it pointed to a series of lapses. It said that the cricketer’s invite attracted an overwhelming crowd even as the police denied permission for the event.
No Formal Permission Sought
The report stated that DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd, the organiser of the event, had merely informed the police about a victory parade being planned for June 3. However, it had not sought formal permission. Notably, it is mandatory to obtain permission for a major event under a 2009 city order. The police had explicitly refused to allow the event.
RCB, DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) “unilaterally decided to hold the victory celebration without prior consultation with the police and without obtaining the necessary permissions or licence for such celebrations,” it said.
Virat Kohli’s Video Appeal Mentioned In Report
Despite this, RCB went ahead with promotions and issued public invitations on social media on June 4. One such post featured an appeal by Virat Kohli, which the government said significantly contributed to the massive turnout of more than three lakh people, a crowd the police and organisers were unprepared for.
At 8:55 am, RCB shared a video of Virat Kohli on its official handle @RCBtweets, where he said the team “intends to celebrate this victory with the people of Bengaluru and RCB fans on 04.06.2025 after the team returns to Bengaluru.”
How An Abrupt Announcement Sparked Panic
On the day of the event, confusion was heightened by an abrupt announcement from the organisers at 3:14 pm stating that passes would be required to enter the stadium. This contradicted earlier announcements of free entry and triggered panic among the crowd.
The post also announced the parade timing – from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm – followed by celebrations inside the stadium. RCB mentioned in the same post that a limited number of free passes were available at shop.royalchallengers.com. However, by then, large crowds had already gathered, the report noted.
Massive Online Engagement On Social Media Posts
The government also pointed to the massive online traction these posts received – the first got 16 lakh views, the second 4.26 lakh, the third 7.6 lakh, and the final one 17 lakh.
“It is pertinent to note that a mere intimation was given by the organisers; there was no requisition for permissions in the prescribed format, nor was any necessary information provided to the concerned departments to anticipate the gathering and make adequate preparations,” the report said.
It also cited the Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bangalore City) Order, 2009, to highlight the procedural lapses.
A Failed Coordination?
According to the report, the coordination between RCB, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and DNA failed. Delayed gate openings and poor crowd management and planning led to a stampede that left seven police personnel injured.
To keep things from spiraling further, the police permitted a scaled-down version of the celebration under strict control. The state government, in its response, outlined a series of steps taken after the incident, including magisterial and judicial inquiries, FIRs, disciplinary action against police officials, the suspension of the Chief Minister’s political secretary, and the transfer of the state intelligence chief.
RCB & Virat Kohli Fans React
Fans of RCB and Virat Kohli have voiced strong reactions to the Karnataka Government’s report on the stampede, particularly over the unexpected mention of Kohli’s name.
Niranjan Banerjee, an RCB supporter, said the incident near the stadium was indeed unfortunate but felt Kohli was unnecessarily dragged into the matter: “Whatever happened near Chinnaswamy Stadium was bad, but to put Virat Kohli’s name into the case is totally out of the box. Just to make the case more nation-wide, you cannot use Kohli’s name to glorify it.”
Virat Kohli fan Abhinav Sachdeva echoed similar views, alleging a pattern of dragging public figures: “Hiding people who were actually involved and putting Virat Kohli’s name—it’s an old tradition in our nation.”
Aditya Chauhan, another RCB fan, questioned the motives behind this selective targeting: “There have been many other incidents near stadiums in the past, but no player’s name was involved. In this case, just to publicise it, they are using Virat Kohli’s name.”
