
When triumph turned into tragedy
On June 3, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) claimed its maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. When Virat Kohli announced that night that celebrations would extend to Bengaluru the next day, the atmosphere turned electric. Fans in Bengaluru celebrated with gusto the entire night, with firecrackers and full-throated chants and slogans. The wait for the title for 18 long years led to a burst of emotions and joy. What added to this excitement and the hurry to celebrate immediately was the imminent departure of Kohli the next day to London.
Unheeded advice
What was missing in this tremendous build-up to the victory parade was a calm and rational response from the administrative arm of the government. Amid the frenzy, according to reports, the Police Commissioner, B. Dayananda, rightly advised restraint and suggested that the celebrations be held a few days later. But the government allegedly did not listen to his advice. There there is no clarity yet on why this was the case. It is well known that any State government would like to cash in on such an event for political gains. This government was clearly no different.
A Police Commissioner can directly talk to top hierarchy of the government. He should have got a clear 'yes' or 'no' from the Chief Minister. If the Chief Minister wanted to go ahead with the function, the police would have had no choice but to make the arrangements. What actually seems to have happened is that no one took a clear decision. Thus the celebrations in the crowded metropolis were ill-conceived and the messaging unclear, which became a recipe for disaster.
It was clear that the State government made the event look like a State function. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar went to the airport to receive the champions. The government invited the team to Vidhana Soudha, the seat of State Legislature and Secretariat. There, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and and Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot congratulated the team. Another function was held for fans at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and Mr. Shivakumar was present at that event. The function at Vidhana Soudha gave the public adequate time to throng the stadium. More than 2 lakh people reportedly congregated at the gates, leading to the stampede that claimed 11 lives.
The police were clearly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and the lack of medical and other facilities. According to reports, the passes or tickets that were to be given to fans to go inside the stadium were to be given near the gates. Communication completely collapsed. It was claimed that news of the stampede did not reach the venue of the function. The celebrations inside the stadium happened even after tragedy unfolded outside.
Where were the officials?
It was surprising that Mr. Dayananda was finally suspended. After all, he was the one who had apparently warned the government against holding the function at such short notice. After being out on the streets the entire night of June 3-4, the police force was hardly in a position to make arrangements for a massive victory parade of the RCB team. It is also surprising that the Chief Minister did not have the correct picture of the potential consequences of holding such massive celebrations the next day. The Intelligence chief is mandated to give such information and assessment beforehand. In this case, a massive crowd at the stadium was expected. What were the Home Secretary and Chief Secretary doing? They too must have been aware of the impending law-and-order situation surely? And what about the head of the force — the Director General of Police? Should he not have taken a stand? So, is the Police Commissioner the fall guy? Support has been pouring in for him on social media for advising the government correctly. Not one Minister has been able to give a justifiable, logical argument as to why this happened or how it was allowed to happen.
We also need to ask why the government chose to be associated with this programme. This is not the Karnataka Ranji Team. It is a cricket league run by a private franchise. During the IPL, a couple of cricket teams owned by rich people select players through an auction. Money pours in from advertisers and sponsors because the public loves to see sixes flying all over the stadium. Yet the cricket mania seems to have gripped politicians too. By holding a State function and having politicians meet the players elevated this championship victory to a much higher status.
The RCB management and the Karnataka State Cricket Association clearly took advantage of the government's indecision and went ahead with their plans to glorify themselves and market their achievements. The police have said that they did not grant permission for a victory parade, but the RCB management took to social media on the morning of June 4 and announced a victory parade nevertheless. The State government ignored the advice of the key official and joined in the premature celebrations. Worse, instead of owning up to it and asking one of its own to resign, it suspended the Police Commissioner, holding him solely responsible for the tragedy.
As usual, the government has constituted a one-man judicial commission to probe the tragedy. As the commission goes about its work, the real issues — the unforgivable lapses in administration — will remain obfuscated and slowly get buried in the sands of time.
Yashovardhan Azad, IPS officer (retd.), is former Central Information Commissioner; former Special Director, Intelligence Bureau; and former Secretary, Security, Government of India
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
RCB fully responsible for stampede, K'taka govt tells high court
The Karnataka government on Wednesday told the High Court that IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bore full responsibility for the deadly stampede outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which left 11 people dead and several others injured. Opposing the bail plea of RCB's head of marketing, Nikhil Sosale, who was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on June 6, the state submitted that RCB's last-minute social media posts, including announcements about free passes and open invitations to the team's victory celebration, triggered the massive and unmanageable crowd buildup. The submissions were made before Justice SR Krishna Kumar, who has reserved orders on Sosale's bail application and is expected to pronounce the verdict on June 12. Terming the entire celebration 'illegal,' the government argued that RCB neither sought the requisite permissions nor implemented necessary safety measures to manage an event that ultimately drew lakhs of people. 'There was no permission taken. What they submitted was an intimation—not a formal request seeking approval,' Advocate General (AG) Shashi Kiran Shetty told the court. 'They tweeted to the world, inviting lakhs of fans without specifying who could enter or what protocols applied. The entire event violated legal norms,' he added. The AG cited multiple posts made from RCB's official handle on X (formerly Twitter) between 11:30 pm on June 3 and 8:55 am on June 4. These posts announced a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium but offered no details on ticketing, crowd control, or security arrangements. When Justice Kumar asked whether the state's position was that RCB was 'completely responsible,' the AG replied: 'Yes. They have tried to shift the blame to the State, but the entire responsibility lies with them. The event was illegal under the Karnataka Police Act and Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with disobedience to lawful orders. This has criminal consequences.' Defending Sosale, senior advocate Sandesh Chouta argued that the marketing head was being unfairly targeted. 'He is merely an employee, not a decision-maker. He cannot be held vicariously liable for actions taken by the company,' Chouta told the court. Chouta also pointed out that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had publicly invited people to the event, but the AG refuted this claim. When the bench sought clarity on Sosale's personal responsibility, Justice Kumar observed: 'He is not even a director; just a marketing official. You cannot conflate the company with the individual. Show us a document where it's his responsibility to seek permission.' In response, the AG cited a tri-partite agreement between RCB, BCCI and KSCA to underline RCB's obligations but admitted that the document did not directly implicate Sosale. However, Shetty maintained: 'We have identified the right person for arrest based on the investigation so far.' Chouta further argued that the arrest was procedurally flawed, pointing out that it took place on June 6, even though the investigation had been officially transferred to the CID on June 5. The AG, however, countered that local police were well within their rights to act until the handover was formally completed and insisted the arrest was lawful. Sosale has also challenged the legality of his arrest, alleging that it was carried out at the behest of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah -- an act he contends exceeds the CM's constitutional authority in criminal investigations.


New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Shoulder responsibility and ensure justice to the Bengaluru stampede victims
Multiple investigations have been launched into the tragedy. The Karnataka High Court took suo motu cognisance and ordered the government to file a status report, the government ordered a magisterial inquiry and set up a one-man commission headed by a retired HC judge, and a probe by the police's criminal investigation department. It is hoped the inquiries bring to light the omissions and commissions, and who took the crucial decision to hold a victory parade and celebrate in the confines of the stadium. A number of issues require scrutiny: RCB's X post on free passes to the stadium, and whether top police officials' objections were brushed aside by politicians. There were many factors at play: the public rushing to collect the passes, restrictions at the stadium gates, a tired and depleted police force, and lakhs of people pouring in to celebrate the elusive IPL trophy. The Congress high command summoned Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar and sought an explanation. The opposition has been baying for the resignations of the two leaders and Home Minister G Parameshwara for turning the felicitation into a family and supporters' show, and absolving themselves of accountability. The image of the Congress government has come under severe drubbing and the leaders' stock has hit an all-time low. They should realise that it is in their interest to take responsibility and do justice to the grieving families. They may fall from grace now, but that's part of the leadership role.


Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Caste survey decision by Cong brass, not Karnataka government, says CM Siddaramaiah
BENGALURU: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah sought to clarify Wednesday that it was the Congress brass's decision and not his govt's to undertake a fresh caste survey, suggesting unease at the prospect of his core vote bank of minorities, backward classes and Dalits not taking kindly to re-enumeration after leaked data from the 2015 exercise showed a massive jump in their numbers. Siddaramaiah, under the pump for the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru in which 11 cricket fans died, told reporters at Gauribidanur in Chikkaballapur district that there were "some complaints" about the Kantharaj Commission's caste survey data. Won't reject 2015 census report: Siddaramaiah There were claims that the data was outdated, so some suggested a fresh enumeration within a relatively shorter timeline. We won't reject the (2015) report. We have already accepted it in principle," Siddaramaiah said. On whether he was disappointed with Congress's decision to go for fresh survey, he said, "We will act per the high command's directive. It's not our decision."Siddaramaiah and his deputy minister D K Shivakumar had been summoned to Delhi Tuesday for a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, purportedly to explain state govt's failure to stem the outrage over the stampede sparked by an allegedly mismanaged victory parade for IPL-winning cricket franchise RCB. While Siddaramaiah appeared wary of owning the decision to enumerate caste demography afresh, Shivakumar batted on the front foot. He questioned why BJP was criticising the decision to conduct a new survey after refusing to accept data from previous one. "Why such opposition when we are trying to address concerns? We are not rejecting the Kantharaj Commission's report. We are only trying to correct the shortcomings of the earlier survey," DKS said.