Karnataka Government Blames RCB for Bengaluru Stampede After IPL Win — Virat Kohli Mentioned in Report

BM TEAM

Bengaluru: A government report released at the direction of the Karnataka High Court has held the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) responsible for a fatal stampede that occurred during victory celebrations following their IPL 2025 championship win. The tragic incident claimed 11 lives and left several others injured.

The report, submitted on June 12 and unsealed following a High Court directive, reveals that RCB and event partner DNA Entertainment Pvt Ltd proceeded with the celebrations despite being denied police permission. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) was also named as one of the responsible parties for the unauthorized event.

According to the report, DNA Entertainment had informed the police on June 3 of a potential victory parade, but did not formally seek permission as required under Bengaluru’s 2009 city regulations. As a result, the Cubbon Park police denied approval for the gathering.

Despite the denial, the event was announced publicly on social media the following day, including a video featuring RCB star Virat Kohli inviting fans to a free-entry celebration. The government report states that RCB went ahead with the event on June 4, drawing an overwhelming crowd estimated at over 3 lakh people.

While the police did provide security along the parade route and arranged for two ambulances, two medical teams, and one fire engine at Chinnaswamy Stadium, the report criticized the event organizers for failing to arrange any medical infrastructure themselves.

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) had earlier also attributed responsibility to RCB, stating that the franchise did not secure necessary permissions for the mass gathering. In its ruling, the tribunal noted that the late public announcement on June 4 left the police with insufficient time to prepare adequate crowd control measures.

“In our prima facie assessment, RCB appears responsible for the gathering of approximately three to five lakh people. The team did not obtain appropriate permission from law enforcement and abruptly issued a public invite via social media,” the tribunal observed.

The tribunal also overturned the state’s suspension of senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash, who had been penalized following the incident. The Bengaluru bench, comprising Justice B.K. Shrivastava and administrative member Santhosh Mehra, had reserved its verdict on June 24 before issuing the ruling.