After the tragic stampede outdoors Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 04 that claimed 11 lives and left many injured, an vital letter has surfaced revealing that the Karnataka State Cricket Affiliation (KSCA) had sought the Karnataka state authorities’s approval for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s IPL 2025 victory celebrations.
The letter, dated June 3, addressed to the Division of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), mentions KSCA’s involvement in facilitating permissions for the felicitation occasion held on the Vidhana Soudha. RCB’s maiden IPL title win had triggered gorgeous pleasure amongst followers, resulting in a large-scale public celebration.
Whereas the official felicitation occasion on the Vidhana Soudha was carried out with out incident, chaos was triggered outdoors the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the place lakhs gathered after a social media invitation from the franchise. What was meant to be a second of celebration became a horrific tragedy, leading to 11 useless and plenty of injured.
Following the stampede, the KSCA was criticized, with an FIR (first info report) filed in opposition to its high workplace bearers, together with President Raghuram Bhat, Secretary A Shankar, and Treasurer E.S. Jairam. Nevertheless, in a petition filed within the Karnataka Excessive Court docket, the KSCA clarified that their function was strictly restricted to extending infrastructure and facilitating authorities permissions.
The precise occasion administration and crowd management duties, they revealed, have been with the RCB franchise and its occasion accomplice, DNA Leisure Networks. The letter submitted by the state affiliation to the native authorities authorities verifies the identical.
“On behalf of the M/s DNA Leisure Networks Non-public Restricted, KSCA requests to tell that after the TATA IPL 2025 Finals on third June 2025, in case Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins the IPL 2025 title, M/s DNA Leisure Networks Non-public Restricted shall make plans for the felicitation ceremony on the Vidhana Soudha Grand Steps.
“KSCA requests that M/s DNA Leisure Networks Non-public Restricted shall be permitted to make crucial preparations on the Vidhana Soudha Grand Steps. KSCA facilitates authorities permissions. The administration of gates is the duty of RCB Franchise / DNA who execute underneath the route of the police. The police have registered the FIR underneath intense strain and compelling circumstances with none preliminary enquiry by naming the petitioner/members of KSCA as accused,” the letter learn.
Regardless of the formal proceedings on the Vidhana Soudha being well-regulated, the opposite celebration outdoors the stadium lacked management. The cricketing physique has since said that it had no function in organising or managing crowd management outdoors the stadium. Following an pressing listening to, the Karnataka Excessive Court docket has restrained the police from taking motion in opposition to KSCA officers till the subsequent listening to on June 16. The courtroom has additionally requested the state authorities to file an in depth standing report by June 10, having taken suo motu (at its personal will) discover of the stampede.