Police sources said 5,000 personnel were deployed, but crowd surges forced them to use mild force near the stadium. Conflicting updates from officials and RCB channels added to the chaos.
Published Jun 04, 2025 | 9:12 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 04, 2025 | 9:12 PM
RCB parade chaos: Mismatched orders, crowd frenzy, and a tragic end
Synopsis: While Karnataka celebrated RCB’s historic IPL win, tragedy overshadowed the jubilation in Bengaluru as a stampede-like situation during the celebrations led to fatalities. Critics, including former Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, blamed poor planning and disorganisation for the chaos.
While Karnataka and parts of the country celebrated Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) historic IPL win, tragedy struck during the victory celebrations in Bengaluru.
A stampede-like situation led to the loss of 11 lives—an incident many believe could have been avoided with better planning.
Former Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao criticised the handling of the event, calling the celebrations “unplanned, hurried and disorganised.” In a post on X, he wrote:
“Unplanned, hurried disorganised celebrations lead to tragic stampede. Innocent Lives Lost. As former City Top Cop, I would have told CM to postpone Victory March and felicitations. Yesterday night’s crowd frenzy was enough warning to allow emotions to calm down. @CMofKarnataka and his incompetent @DrGParameshwara must take immediate responsibility to restore Order.”
Unplanned, hurried disorganised celebrations lead to tragic stampede. Innocent Lives Lost.
As former City Top Cop, I would have told CM to postpone Victory March and felicitations. Yesterday night’s crowd frenzy was enough warning to allow emotions to calm down. @CMofKarnataka…— Bhaskar Rao (@Nimmabhaskar22) June 4, 2025
According to police sources, around 5,000 personnel were deployed to manage the crowds. However, as numbers swelled, mild force had to be used to control the situation near the stadium. Visuals showed injured fans being shifted to ambulances.
The confusion stemmed from inconsistent information shared by officials and RCB’s official channels.
Initially, it was announced that the victory parade would start at 3:30 PM from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium. Later, RCB’s official X handle posted a 5:00 PM start time, with free passes available online.
“🚨 RCB Victory Parade: Today at 5 pm IST. ‼️ 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 http://shop.royalchallengers.com”
🚨 RCB Victory Parade: Today at 5 pm IST. ‼️
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… pic.twitter.com/raJMXlop5O
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) June 4, 2025
However, a traffic advisory from the Bengaluru Police stated that only a felicitation event would take place between 5 PM and 6 PM at Chinnaswamy Stadium, restricted to pass holders. It also confirmed that the parade was cancelled. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Office stated that a felicitation by the Governor and senior cabinet members would happen at Vidhana Soudha at 4 PM.
These conflicting announcements created mass confusion among fans who turned up in large numbers, leading to crowding, chaos, and ultimately, the tragic stampede.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
