Stampede: Govt suspends Bengaluru police chief, other officials; Sets up one-man probe panel

BENGALURU: Following the Bengaluru stampede that claimed 11 lives and left many injured, the Karnataka Government on Thursday suspended top police officials, including City Police Commissioner B Dayananda and others at the Cubbon Park police station and formed a one-man commission under a retired High Court judge to probe the incident.

Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “B Dayananda, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City; Vikas Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police, West Division; Shekhar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division); Balakrishna, ACP, Cubbon Park Division and Girish, Inspector, Cubbon Park police station along with Station House Master, Station House Office and Cricket Stadium in-charge have been suspended immediately”.

“Under the chairmanship of High Court retired judge Justice Michael D’Cunha, we have appointed a one-man commission”, the CM stated. “We have handed over the inquiry to CID”, he added.

The FIR filed at Cubbon Park police station names RCB franchise, DNA Networks (event manager), KSCA management and others responsible for gross negligence in crowd control. The FIR has been filed on a complaint by a police inspector at Cubbon Park police station.

According to the FIR, chaos erupted as fans broke barricades, leading to clashes with police and disruption of public order. Authorities have booked the accused under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide and assault on public servants. The FIR mentioned that a total of 11 people died of suffocation in the stampede at gates 15, 17, 18, 20 and 21, and a total of 64 people were treated for injuries. Several police officers and staff were also injured.

#WATCH | Bengaluru, Karnataka: Visuals from outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a stampede took place yesterday, claiming the lives of 11 people and injuring 33 people. pic.twitter.com/UDQSTc2chi

— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2025

“Therefore, the DNA, KSCA Management Board and RCB franchise were negligent in not taking appropriate decisions at the right time for the entry into the M Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium, which caused confusion among the millions of RCB fans who had gathered and tried to break the barricades installed by the police and enter,” the FIR stated.

“A complaint has been filed seeking appropriate legal action against (1) the RCB franchise, (2) DNA, (3) KSCA, the board of directors and (4) others for not only pushing and injuring the police, but also causing disruption to public traffic, leading to the deaths of 11 people, injuries to 64 people and damage to public property, etc,” it added.

According to the FIR, the case was registered at Cubbon Park police station under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 115 (Voluntarily causing hurt), 118 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by using dangerous weapons or means), 121 (Voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their duty) and 125(12) (acts endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Earlier today, the Karnataka High Court issued a notice to the state government over the stampede incident near the Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed the lives of 11 people and left several injured. The High Court took suo motu cognisance of the incident and asked for a further status report.

“News items have been published in various newspapers, narrating the tragedy that happened when 11 persons died and 75 were injured during the course of the victory celebration of RCB. This court is taking cognisance of the incident,” the High Court said.

Issuing notice to the Karnataka government, the HC said, “To ascertain the cause of the tragedy and how to prevent it in future, we have also received communications from several persons on this subject matter. We issue a notice to the State government”. The High Court listed the matter for hearing again on June 10.

Deeply moved by the turn of events, RCB released an official statement expressing profound grief and pledged immediate financial assistance to the families of the deceased.

“The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday caused a lot of anguish and pain for the RCB family. As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of Rs 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident,” the statement read.

Eleven people died and more than 30 were injured in a stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy stadium as a huge crowd of nearly 3 lakh people had gathered to witness the victory celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for winning the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Karnataka government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased killed in the stampede. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the government will also provide free treatment to the injured.

“A major tragedy occurred during the victory celebrations. It happened near the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased. The government will provide free treatment to the injured,” the CM said.

Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, on Thursday, alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Dy CM DK Shivakumar are directly responsible for the mishap.

“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar are directly responsible for the tragic stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium and its surroundings,” he said. Ashoka demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a High Court judge probe the incident.

Speaking at a press conference, he stated, “We will not accept an investigation by the District Collector. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is being filed before the High Court Chief Justice. The investigation must be conducted under the supervision of a High Court judge, and an SIT should be formed for this purpose. The report must be submitted directly to the High Court. Justice must be delivered for all these deaths, and those responsible must be punished.”

Minister MB Patil said on Thursday that lapses that led to the incident will be unearthed in 15 days, and strict action will be taken against them. Speaking with the media, Patil urged the BJP not to politicise the issue as the state government is focusing on giving the best possible treatment to the injured in the incident. (ANI)