RCB ban from IPL sealed; judicial enquiry holds team responsible for Bengaluru stampede

The tragic stampede at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2025 victory celebration, which led to the deaths of 11 people and injured several in Bengaluru, has hit the headlines once again. A judicial inquiry into the incident has pointed fingers at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and the Bengaluru police for the heartbreaking stampede.

They directly blamed the IPL 2025 champions, KSCA, as well as the police, for serious failures in planning and safety during their victory celebration in Bengaluru on June 4. The investigation was reportedly carried out by a one-man commission headed by retired Justice John Michael D’Cunha.

RCB, KSCA, and Police blamed for Bengaluru stampede in judicial report

They had a month to investigate lapses in security and crowd management. Following the statements of several eyewitnesses, documents, and site visits, the commission found that despite clear warning signs, the RCB, KSCA, and the event organizers, DNA Entertainment, went ahead with the planned event without the necessary arrangements to ensure crowd safety.

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One of the most shocking findings was the poor security arrangements for such a big event in Bengaluru. Just 79 police personnel were posted inside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, and none were stationed outside the venue, where over 2.5 lakh people gathered and chaos unfolded.

The report also highlighted major delays in the response by top officials. It is being said that the Joint Commissioner of Police only arrived at the scene around 4 PM, while the Police Commissioner didn’t even know about the incident until 5 PM, more than two hours after the stampede broke out.

Karnataka Chief Minister to submit the report to the state cabinet

The findings were submitted in a two-volume report to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who said that he hadn’t yet gone through the details but would review it and present it before the state cabinet on July 17.

Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying by the Times of India: “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 deliberate on it. The govt will take appropriate action after studying the report and its recommendations.”

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When RCB’s IPL 2025 victory celebration ended in tragedy

Sadly, RCB’s grand celebration turned into a horrifying tragedy, as a deadly stampede claimed 11 lives and left many injured. Thousands of excited fans had gathered near the stadium, hoping to catch a glimpse of their IPL 2025 winners, while a separate felicitation event was held nearby at Vidhana Soudha.

The huge crowd quickly became unmanageable, and around 3:25 PM, chaos broke out, leading to a stampede. At first, the Karnataka government launched a magisterial inquiry and asked the police to investigate any possible criminal negligence. Multiple FIRs were filed against RCB, KSCA, and DNA Entertainment on charges of negligence and culpable homicide.

As public anger grew, the state government stepped up the probe by ordering a judicial inquiry. Even the five police officers were suspended, including the then Bengaluru Police Commissioner and two senior IPS officers, for failing to control the situation.