BENGALURU: With 11 RCB fans dead and 64 injured in Wednesday’s stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium, informed sources told TNIE on condition of anonymity that Bengaluru City Police (BCP) was literally hijacked by the premier cricketing club and people “at the helm of affairs” in the state.
The BCP has come under tremendous flak for the shoddy and unprofessional handling of the crowd that converged outside the stadium, and the stampede that followed and led to 11 casualties -- all young people in the prime of their lives, including two minors. An extremely tragic and unprecedented event could have been averted if the government and police had exercised caution and planned the celebration later, in consultation and coordination with all agencies and stakeholders concerned, and after the public frenzy had come down.
“Where was the question of permission for the stadium event? RCB had already announced the victory celebration on social media early Wednesday morning, and followed it up with more posts. People were all charged up and the government was keen on the event, in keeping with public sentiment. They simply failed to anticipate the impending catastrophe, despite cautionary advice,” the sources added.
“A senior police officer cautioned those at the helm of affairs on Wednesday after RCB, from their handle @RCBTweets at 7:01am posted on microblogging platform ‘X’, announcing a victory parade in Bengaluru. He suggested a delayed and better planned event on Sunday but it was overlooked. Police then refused permission for the open bus victory parade but allowed the stadium event under pressure. They should have asserted and put their foot down,” said placed sources.
Narrating the buildup of events -- from RCB’s post on X early on Wednesday on the Bengaluru celebrations, to the meeting with political leadership to discuss the planning of the event, to the stampede -- sources said, without naming anybody, that the government “failed to gauge the previous evening’s frenzy in the city after RCB won IPL 2025”. Why did the police, caught between RCB and their political bosses, throw their hands up? Routine BCP posts on social media with a mandatory advisory and travel restrictions in the city were starkly missing on Wednesday.
According to sources, police officers were posted at the stadium, but they too failed to assess and control the crowd movement. “It is reliably learnt that there were three Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) and an Additional Commissioner of Police (AdlCP) posted at the stadium on Wednesday, yet the stampede happened and 11 people died.
There was no coordination or unified command and control mechanism, which is the basis of any SOP in an emergency-like situation. Crowds surged after they heard of free passes for the event. At the time of the stampede, some constables posted outside the stadium tried to control the burgeoning crowd and came to the aid of people who had fallen down as a result of the stampede. It was too little and too late. The main attention of the police was on the felicitation ceremony at Vidhana Soudha by the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, sources added.
Communication gaps
A source said there was poor communication between the government, RCB management, and event organisers. “They insisted on conducting the event without proper planning and ignored advice from senior police officials to postpone it. The management was stubborn about holding the victory parade and felicitation function on Wednesday itself, as several foreign players were scheduled to return home,” he said, adding that political pressure also influenced the decision to host the event.
The officer noted that police had very little time to prepare for crowd control, as many personnel were already exhausted after late night celebrations on Tuesday. “We had opposed the open bus victory parade from the beginning due to traffic congestion and parking issues, but the RCB management was adamant,” the officer added.
Another senior officer said the entire event was rushed and lacked proper coordination. “Lakhs of fans gathered in the afternoon. There were no proper traffic advisories or arrangements made near the stadium or Vidhana Soudha. No ambulances or fire and emergency service vehicles were stationed. Most police personnel were deployed at Vidhana Soudha for the security of politicians and players,” he said.
A senior police officer from East Division told TNIE that fans became so desperate to catch a glimpse of their favourite players that they forced open entry gates, broke glass doors to get to their seats in the stadium, and even broke fences. “Some climbed on to parked cars, damaging their roofs and windows, all because the RCB management announced the parade without prior permission, and also free passes,” the officer said.
A massive crowd gathered outside, and as only two or three gates were opened, a mob-like situation developed. People began pushing each other to get inside, and things went out of hand when some attempted illegal entry and encouraged others to do the same.