The Royal Challenger Bengaluru’s IPL-winning celebrations following their maiden victory after 18 years turned tragic as a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday, June 4, led to the death of 11 people.
The RCB team, including Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar, were felicitated by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah at the Vidhan Soudha at around 5:00 PM, following which an open bus victory parade was supposed to be held in the city. Lakhs of excited fans turned up outside the stadium to catch a glimpse of the winning team, without considering the fact that the actual capacity of the venue was just 35,000.
As chaos unfolded and overcrowding and mismanagement triggered a stampede, killing 11 and injuring 33 others, a social media post by the RCB post, just hours before the event, is now under scrutiny and has gone viral. The social media announcement is said to have taken the municipal authorities Bengaluru Police by surprise as they reportedly had no prior information regarding the same.
At 3:14 PM on June 4, a social media post on RCB’s official account on X (formerly Twitter), confirmed a “Victory Parade” scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM from the Vidhana Soudha to the Chinnaswamy Stadium, followed by a felicitation event inside the stadium.
The post provided a link to the fans to get “free passes,” but declared “limited entry”. It also requested fans to adhere to police guidelines.
🚨 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
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to probe what led to the stampede. The Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner will undertake the probe in 15 days, based on which necessary action will be taken.
The primary reasons that might have caused the stampede is believed to be the confusion surrounding passes for the RCB victory celebration.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia also criticised the preparatory lapses that marred the celebration and highlighted how the organisers should have planned the event better.
“When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There have been some lapses somewhere. After such a glorious ending to the IPL, this has been an anti-climax.” Saikia told news agency PTI.
