The Karnataka government, in the status report recently filed before the High Court with regard to the June 4 stampede tragedy at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that took 11 lives, has put the blame on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and said that the IPL team had gone ahead with its victory celebration without consulting the law enforcement authorities.
Sources say the report states that RCB organized the event at the stadium on their own without undertaking crucial consultation and permission from the police. The High Court had previously ordered that the state release this report to all the respondents, such as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), RCB, and DNA Events, rejecting the state's request to seal the findings.
The report states that RCB only made the Bengaluru police aware of plans for the parade on June 3, just a day prior to the function. Instead of making a formal request, the notice was an intimation and did not have the procedural norms usually required for such mass public functions.
For events of such magnitude, the report states, permissions have to be sought at least seven days ahead and in the manner approved. In this instance, no such formal request was sent. As a result, the jurisdictional Cubbon Park police refused permission, citing the undependable turnout of crowds.
Despite this, on the morning of June 4, RCB posted promotional material on its official social media channels announcing free public entry and encouraging fans to join the victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium. A subsequent post at 8 AM that day included a video of star cricketer Virat Kohli inviting fans to participate in the event.
At noon, there was another post, giving details of the parade and passes for free. These posts allegedly received over 4.4 million views and ensured a huge turnout as more than three lakh fans swamped the venue.
As there was no prior coordination, law enforcement officials had little time to organize and had to send staff in a rush to handle the huge crowd, which spread for kilometres.
The crisis deepened when the organisers did not open the gates on schedule. Frustration and misinformation spread like wildfire among the visitors, particularly following an RCB post stating that only restricted entry through passes would be permitted. Panic followed as there was a rush towards entry gates 1, 2, and 21 in a desperate bid to push their way in.
The report explains that stampede-type incidents were witnessed at various points — namely gates 2, 2A, 6, 7, 1, 17, 18, 20, and 21. Police responded quickly to contain the crisis, but the sheer numbers and unorganised entry added to the issue.
In spite of the deteriorating conditions, authorities decided against canceling the event entirely. According to the report, stopping the celebration half-way would have engendered widespread anger and potentially violent retribution, both at the stadium and throughout the city.
It is usual and well known in law and order cases that the cancellation of events anticipated can infuriate the crowd to a great extent and result in large-scale mob violence, as witnessed in quite a few occasions where such choices have been made," the report had said.
In the end, the government's report stressed that considerations for public safety motivated their decision to permit the event to go ahead on emergency measures instead of risking mass riots or additional casualties.
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