When grandstanding drowned governance in Bengaluru

New Indian Express

20 hours ago

The tragedy that unfolded at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium—where a celebration spiralled into a stampede—was synthetic, foreseeable and entirely self-inflicted. It was not a case of public enthusiasm gone awry; it was the culmination of a toxic brew of political theatre, administrative apathy and corporate vanity. It laid bare a deeper crisis: a collapse of institutional judgement and a contemptuous disregard for the sanctity of public life. The government's response—suspending the city police commissioner and other senior officers in haste—only served to expose the rot. Scapegoating of honest officers has become the easiest way to deflect accountability. This time, it crossed an ethical line.
When spectacle replaces governance, tragedy ensues. What exactly was the occasion for the grand felicitation? Royal Challengers Bengaluru—a private IPL franchise that, let us remind ourselves, had only won a trophy—was feted like a conquering army on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha, the symbol of Karnataka's democratic and constitutional dignity. With the governor, chief minister, deputy CM, and chief secretary playing hosts, it resembled a swearing-in ceremony, not a sports meet.
Why does the state machinery spring into action to elevate a private commercial venture? The RCB brand is not a public institution; it is a business. Unlike our Ranji Trophy-winning state teams that have brought glory to Karnataka for decades but have never been feted in this manner, RCB's success—modest and long in coming —was transformed into a photo-op, a media spectacle. The motivation was not celebration; it was proximity to celebrity, optics over ethics, and power over prudence. The people came not just because they loved the sport or the team—they came because the state, the Karnataka State Cricket Association , and RCB whipped up a frenzy. Social media was used irresponsibly to amplify the call. No prior assessment was done of the crowd expected. No crowd control plan was in place.
Was any consultation done with the police commissioner—the person whose job is to ensure the security of citizens? Was his and his ground-level team's advice heeded? When things went tragically wrong, the same officer was summarily suspended. A career officer known for his integrity and professionalism was cast as the villain in a theatre of public incompetence. This has rightly caused outrage. The public recognises what this is: an old playbook of punishing the wrong person so that those truly responsible may escape scrutiny.