Bengaluru: In a significant move aimed at fixing accountability for one of the city’s most shocking recent tragedies, the Karnataka cabinet has decided to initiate strict legal and departmental action against those found responsible for the stampede that killed 11 people and injured over 50 near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) IPL victory celebrations last month.
The decision was taken at a high-level cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 24, following a detailed discussion on the report submitted by the single-member judicial commission led by retired High Court Judge Justice D. Michael Cunha. The Cunha Commission, tasked with probing the deadly crowd crush, laid out in its report how lapses by private organisers, cricket authorities and senior police officials contributed to the chaos and tragic loss of life.
Criminal case against RCB, DNA and KSCA
As per the cabinet’s decision, criminal cases will now be filed against the Royal Challengers Bangalore team management, the event management firm DNA Networks, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). This means tough legal troubles ahead for KSCA President Raghuram Bhat, former Secretary A. Shankar, former Treasurer Jayaram E. S., RCB’s Vice President Rajesh Menon, DNA Networks MD Dr. T. Venkat Vardhan and its Vice President Sunil Mathur.
Law Minister H.K. Patil, briefing reporters after the meeting, confirmed that the government has accepted the Cunha report’s recommendations in full. “The cabinet has decided to take stringent legal action against the private parties — KSCA, DNA and RCB — for failing to ensure basic crowd control measures and violating safety norms,” he said.
Departmental action against top police officers
In a parallel move, the cabinet has also ordered a departmental inquiry against senior police officials who were tasked with maintaining law and order during the massive celebratory gathering but allegedly failed to do so effectively.
Former Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayanand, senior IPS officers Vikas Kumar Vikas and Shekhar Teknavar, ACP C Balakrishna of the Cubbon Park Sub-Division, and Police Inspector Girish A.K. of Cubbon Park Police Station will now face internal departmental action for their lapses in preventing the situation from spiraling out of control. The Home Department has been asked to initiate this inquiry promptly.
How the tragedy unfolded
The tragic incident occurred on June 4, just a day after RCB’s historic win over the Punjab team in the IPL 2025 final. The victory parade and felicitation ceremony at the iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium were expected to draw huge crowds, but the actual turnout far exceeded estimates. Tens of thousands of excited fans thronged the stadium vicinity to get a glimpse of their cricketing idols.
However, the arrangements proved wholly inadequate for the swelling crowd. Poor crowd management, lack of barricades, insufficient deployment of personnel, and miscommunication created bottlenecks that quickly turned into panic and a fatal crush. In the stampede that ensued, 11 lives were lost, and scores of people were severely injured — many of them young fans who had come with families to celebrate.
The horrifying visuals of the tragedy shocked the state and the country, sparking massive outrage and demands for accountability from grieving families, opposition leaders and the public alike.
What next?
With the cabinet formally backing legal proceedings and disciplinary action, the focus now shifts to how swiftly the Lokayukta police and other agencies move to register FIRs and pursue prosecution. The Home Department is expected to set up the departmental inquiry panels against the police officers named in the report within the next few days.
The tragic event has also triggered fresh calls for stricter guidelines around public events, especially those involving large crowds in urban areas. Many have urged the KSCA and city authorities to ensure that future cricket events meet the highest safety standards.
