CAT Holds RCB Responsible for Deadly IPL Victory Stampede

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has ruled Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) “prima facie responsible” for a tragic stampede on June 4 outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team’s IPL victory celebrations, which claimed 11 lives and injured several others. The ruling was part of a hearing on a petition by Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash, who was suspended following the incident.

The Tribunal absolved the police, stating that RCB’s failure to coordinate with authorities led to the chaos. According to CAT, RCB did not seek police permission or provide sufficient notice, resulting in an estimated crowd of three to five lakh people gathering after a sudden social media post by the team. “It cannot be expected from the Police that within a short time of about 12 hours the Police will make all arrangements required in the Police Act or in the other rules,” the Tribunal noted, emphasizing that police personnel needed adequate time to manage such a large crowd.

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) was also criticized for not formally requesting police arrangements. A letter submitted by KSCA to a police station only indicated intent, lacking a formal permission request, making it unreasonable to expect immediate police action.

The stampede occurred a day after RCB’s maiden IPL title win against Punjab Kings on June 3 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. On June 4, massive crowds gathered near Vidhana Soudha and M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the victory parade, which turned deadly. In response, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the arrest of officials from RCB, DNA Networks, and KSCA, and suspended senior police officers, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, Vikash Kumar Vikash, DCP Shekhar H Tekkannavar, and Cubbon Park Police Station officials.

KSCA secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam resigned, accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy. The CAT’s ruling has sparked discussions on event management and accountability for large public gatherings.

                                               

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