The Chief Minister announced the formation of a one-man commission to probe the incident, led by former High Court Justice John Michael D’Cunha.
Published Jun 05, 2025 | 9:49 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 05, 2025 | 11:02 PM
The government has ordered the suspension of all senior police officials directly responsible for the security arrangements.
Synopsis: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered the arrest of representatives from Royal Challengers Bengaluru, KSCA, and the event organiser, and suspended several senior police officials, including Commissioner of Bengaluru Police, following a stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people and injured dozens.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday, 5 June, announced a series of stringent actions following the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and left dozens injured.
The incident occurred on Wednesday during a felicitation ceremony organised to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title win.
Addressing the media after a Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister announced the formation of a one-man commission to probe the incident, led by former High Court Justice John Michael D’Cunha.
“Today, the Cabinet met and discussed yesterday’s tragedy in detail, and decided to take the following actions: A one-member commission, led by former High Court Justice John Michael D’Cunha, has been appointed,” he said.
Furthermore, the government has ordered the suspension of all senior police officials directly responsible for the security arrangements.
“The Inspector of Cubbon Park Police Station, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), the Central Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), the ACP in charge of the cricket stadium, and the Commissioner of Police for Bengaluru City have all been suspended with immediate effect,” the Chief Minister said.
Those suspended include B Dayanand (Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City), Vikas Kumar (Additional Commissioner, West Division), Shekhar (DCP, Central Division), Balakrishna (ACP, Cubbon Park Division), and Girish (Inspector, Cubbon Park Police Station).
Seemanth Kumar Singh, ADGP, BMTF, has been transferred with immediate effect and posted, until further orders, as Additional Director General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City.
Additionally, representatives of RCB, the event management company DNA, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) have been directed to be arrested. An FIR has already been registered against them.
“The RCB and the Cricket Association went ahead to tweet about the celebrations and invite fans to Chinnaswamy Stadium without following the usual practice of issuing tickets or passes,” the FIR states.
“Despite knowledge of these developments and the expectation of a huge turnout of cricket fans by the police, steps were not taken either to organise the event systematically at the stadium, to provide adequate information to the public so they could take necessary precautions for their safety, or to provide additional police force for appropriate crowd management.”
Chief Minister Siddaramiah said the “three organisations’ irresponsibility and negligence are plainly apparent”.
“I have never seen such a stampede occur since I first became an MLA. We are all deeply saddened by this incident,” he added.
The Karnataka High Court took suo motu cognisance of the incident and heard the matter on Thursday. In its submission, the state government confirmed the identities and details of the victims.
The fatalities occurred at multiple entry points: four at Gate 7, two at Gate 6, one at Gate 1, and four at Gates 17 to 21. Of the 56 injured, 50 have been discharged after outpatient treatment, while six remain admitted.
According to official statements, the youngest of the dead was just 14 years old, while the eldest was 29. Victims were not only from Bengaluru but also from various districts across Karnataka, and one from Tamil Nadu.
The state government has announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the families of each deceased person. The Karnataka State Cricket Association has offered an additional ₹5 lakh.
Karnataka Minister for IT, BT and Rural Development Priyank Kharge on Thursday acknowledged lapses in planning during the RCB victory celebrations that led to the fatal incident.
“Yes, there has been a mistake. We have agreed to it. We have taken responsibility. We will correct it. We are a responsible government. In this incident, the government has owned up to its responsibility,” Kharge said.
He attributed the tragedy to an overwhelming turnout.
“There were a lot of expectations from the people. A stadium with a capacity of 35,000 people – two and a half, three lakh people came out onto the streets. Although we did the best we could, we were unable to manage the crowd,” he explained.
Earlier on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar broke down while addressing the media.
“We did not anticipate such a large crowd and such a tragedy,” he said, adding that both he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah were “deeply hurt” by the incident.
On Wednesday evening, the Chief Minister had also announced that the state would bear the full medical expenses of those injured.
To establish administrative accountability, Deputy Commissioner Jagadish G has been appointed to conduct a magisterial inquiry. He has been instructed to submit a detailed report within 15 days, examining the sequence of events, possible lapses, and negligence.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
