The stampede at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 turned a celebratory event into a tragic disaster, claiming the lives of 11 fans and injuring many others.

Reasons for the Stampede

• Unprecedented Crowd: The stadium, which has a maximum capacity of 33,000, was overwhelmed by a crowd of over 2.5 lakh fans. This massive mismatch triggered a chaotic stampede near Gate 3.
• Administrative and Structural Failure: This was not just a case of fan overenthusiasm. It revealed serious lapses in planning, coordination, and responsibility-sharing between the RCB franchise and the state Government.
• Premature Announcement: RCB had announced a victory parade on social media early on June 4, even though they had not secured the mandatory police permissions under the Karnataka Police Act.
• Rejection of  Parade Request: The Bengaluru police had rejected the franchise’s request the night before, citing the danger of uncontrolled crowds. However, RCB ignored the advisory, and the announcement went viral by 9 AM.
• Government Event: To add to the chaos, the Karnataka Government scheduled its own felicitation event for the RCB team at Vidhana Soudha, just 1 km away from the stadium, around the same time.
• Overstretched Police Force: The dual events, with massive crowds at both venues, left the Bengaluru police overwhelmed, unable to effectively manage the situation or control the surging crowd.
• Lack of Coordination: Preliminary investigations point to a breakdown in communication, lack of clarity over event responsibilities, and political grandstanding, which collectively led to the disaster.
• Overloaded Duties: Police officers had already worked late into the night during the IPL finals, and were now tasked with providing security for the team’s airport arrival, transport, felicitation at Vidhana Soudha, and the stadium event — all on short notice and with limited manpower.

Steps Taken After the Stampede

• FIR for Negligence: An FIR has been registered against:
  • Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
  • Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA)
  • DNA Events, the private event management company
• Judiciary Step In: The Karnataka Government has ordered a full inquiry into the incident. Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the tragedy and demanded explanations from all parties involved.
• Scrutiny: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who initiated the Government’s felicitation of the team, was present at both the Government and stadium events. This has drawn criticism in the wake of the tragedy.

Conclusion

This incident highlights the perils of unplanned celebrations held without adequate safety checks, Effective co-ordination and proper crowd management

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