A stampede in Bengaluru during an IPL celebration by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) turned tragic, claiming 11 lives and injuring many others. The incident took place during a public event held at the stadium, drawing huge crowds to celebrate RCB’s performance.
Now, a judicial inquiry has found that the tragedy could have been avoided. According to the newly submitted report, three main groups are responsible for the disaster:
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA)
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team management
The Bengaluru Police
The one-man judicial commission was led by retired Justice John Michael D’Cunha. He was given one month to investigate the incident, identify security failures, and suggest improvements to avoid similar events in the future.
The panel interviewed eyewitnesses, visited the event site, and reviewed official documents and footage. After a full investigation, the report was submitted to the Karnataka government.
The most serious finding in the report is that all organisers knew it would be impossible to safely manage the event. Despite this, they went ahead with the celebration.
Justice D’Cunha's report strongly criticised the decision-makers, calling it “gross negligence”. According to the report, there were clear signs of poor planning and lack of coordination, yet no steps were taken to cancel or postpone the event.
One of the most alarming findings in the report was the lack of police presence. Only 79 police officers were posted inside the stadium, and none were assigned outside, where the crowd was largest.
This meant that there was no proper crowd control, and when the stampede started, the response was slow and uncoordinated.
The report also mentions that top police officers failed to act on time:
The Joint Commissioner of Police arrived at 4 PM — after the stampede had already started.
The Police Commissioner didn’t even know about the incident until 5 PM, nearly two hours after it began.
This delay in response added to the chaos and prevented timely help from reaching victims.
The completed report has been submitted to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Speaking to the media, he said that he had not yet read the full report, but would review it with the state cabinet on July 17, 2025.
"I don’t know the details as I’m yet to read the report. We’ll place the report before the cabinet on July 17 and discuss it. The government will take proper action after studying the report and its recommendations," the CM said.
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The report highlights several key points that could have prevented the stampede:
Cancel the event after seeing the huge number of people expected.
Deploy enough police and security staff, especially outside the stadium.
Install proper barriers and crowd control lanes.
Communicate better among event organisers, police, and local authorities.
Monitor crowd size in real-time and stop entry once capacity is reached.
The inquiry panel found that none of these basic steps were properly taken, leading to the deadly stampede.
The tragedy has sparked public outrage across Karnataka and beyond. Families of the victims are demanding that strict action be taken against those responsible. Citizens have questioned how such a high-profile event was allowed without proper safety arrangements.
Many are calling for:
Action against RCB and KSCA officials
Disciplinary measures for the police officers who failed to act
A review of how public events are approved and monitored
This tragic incident has become a major wake-up call for everyone involved in organising public events in India. Whether it’s a sports celebration, concert, or festival, safety must always come first.
The judicial panel’s report has made it clear that the Bengaluru stampede was not just an accident, but the result of avoidable mistakes. It is now up to the Karnataka government to ensure that the lessons from this tragedy lead to real changes — so that no family has to suffer such a loss again.
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