'Will Send Notice' Bengaluru DC Calls Out RCB, KSCA After Stadium Stampede

Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha, who is leading the magisterial investigation into the tragic stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, announced on Thursday that official notices will be sent to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda. These parties will be asked to participate in the ongoing inquiry.

The incident occurred during a public celebration on June 4, following RCB's first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title win after 18 years. The stampede led to the death of 11 people and left more than 50 injured.

Jagadeesha visited the stadium on Thursday to assess the situation. "Today I visited the KSCA stadium. I have seen all the events here. I will issue notices to KSCA, RCB management, event manager, and Police Commissioner for the purpose of the inquiry. People will be called to submit evidence. I aim to complete the inquiry within 15 days," he told reporters.

Responding to questions on responsibility, the Deputy Commissioner said, "The inquiry is just beginning. I will not make any conclusions at this stage." When asked whether permission was obtained for the June 4 celebration, Jagadeesha clarified that he is not the competent authority to issue such approvals and noted that the permission process falls under the jurisdiction of the Police Commissioner. "My role is to investigate and submit a report to the government," he added.

RCB's Social Media Post Draws Scrutiny

One focus of the inquiry is a social media post from RCB's official account on platform X (formerly Twitter), which was published at 3:14 PM on June 4. The post announced a public "Victory Parade" beginning at 5 PM, moving from the Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium, followed by a felicitation ceremony. The post offered free passes with limited entry and urged fans to follow police and government guidelines. It read:

"Victory Parade will be followed by celebrations at the Chinnaswamy stadium. We request all fans to follow guidelines set by police and other authorities so that everyone can enjoy the roadshow peacefully. Free passes (limited entry) available on shop.royalchallengers.com."

This post contradicted the Karnataka government's earlier claim that the event was "planned at the last minute." In fact, a letter had already been sent by KSCA on June 3 requesting permission to host the felicitation at Vidhana Soudha. Bengaluru Police had reportedly advised postponing the celebrations by at least two days to allow for adequate security arrangements, but that recommendation went unheeded.

Crowds Overwhelm Venues

The stampede was the result of simultaneous gatherings at two key locations. One was outside the Vidhana Soudha, where top state dignitaries including the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and Governor were to felicitate the team. The second was inside Chinnaswamy Stadium for public celebrations.

While over one lakh people assembled outside Vidhana Soudha, more than three lakh gathered at the stadium. Due to the massive turnout and stretched resources, Bengaluru Police were forced to divide their force between the two venues, leading to a critical breakdown in crowd control.

The chaos particularly affected entry gates numbered 2, 2A, 6, 7, 16, 17, 18, and 21, where crowd surges overpowered both police and stadium personnel. The inquiry is expected to determine whether poor planning, lack of coordination, or failure to anticipate the turnout contributed to the tragedy.