Bengaluru didn't know how to host victory parade - and it showed: 'No experience, no plan'

Fans gather to greet the RCB players after their victory in IPL (Image credit: AFP)

What was meant to be a moment of euphoria for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans spiralled into one of the darkest days in the city’s sporting history. A victory parade organised to celebrate the team’s maiden IPL title on Wednesday ended in disaster, leaving 11 dead and scores injured in a chaotic stampede that has raised serious questions about planning, policing and priorities.

RCB’s long-awaited title win had sparked wild celebrations across the city late Tuesday night. After 18 years of heartbreak and close calls, fans thronged the streets following the team’s triumph over Punjab Kings in the IPL final in Ahmedabad. Jubilant supporters danced through the night, set off fireworks and flooded social media with tributes.

But the trouble began barely hours later. Here’s an insight into the chain of events that culminated in one of the gravest fan-related tragedies in Indian cricket history, as pieced together by TOI.

At 7 am on Wednesday morning, RCB announced on social media that the victorious team would land in Bengaluru by noon and that a victory parade would be held at 3.30 pm. The announcement, made without coordination with civic or police authorities, triggered a fresh wave of excitement. Thousands of fans, many sleep-deprived but high on adrenaline, began pouring towards the stadium to catch a glimpse of Virat Kohli and his teammates.

Police sources said, as cited by TOI, that this was a critical misstep. “We were not kept in the loop,” said one senior officer. "Bengaluru does not have the experience of hosting a victory parade, it requires a lot of planning and logistical requirements. It should have been organised during the weekend in a bigger venue like BIEC on Tumakuru Road.”

Having already spent the night managing spontaneous fan gatherings across Bengaluru, the police were stretched thin. “Our men were drained,” admitted a senior police official, noting that no reinforcements were called in and officers were instructed not to use force, quoted TOI.

As crowds swelled outside the stadium by noon, several top-ranking officers were absent from the scene. Most of the senior deployment had moved to Vidhana Soudha, where the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister were felicitating the RCB players. Junior officers at the stadium waited in vain for guidance.

“We needed to resort to mild lathicharge to regulate the crowd,” said one officer on the ground. “But there was no senior officer to give us instructions for a long time.”

As eager fans arrived at the stadium, a lack of signage and communication sparked further chaos. Confused about which gates to enter from, large groups of people began moving from one entry point to another, creating bottlenecks and panic.

With no clear directions and mounting restlessness, barricades were broken as crowds surged forward. When lathi-wielding police finally stepped in, panic ensued. People ran in all directions, trampling over others in the confusion.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror — children separated from parents, women fainting and bodies being dragged out by fellow fans.

No medical or emergency response

As the tragedy unfolded, what became even more apparent was the absence of basic emergency response measures. No ambulances were stationed at the site. Regulated parking was non-existent. Many of the injured were carried to hospitals by fellow fans or auto-rickshaw drivers, while some bystanders were seen performing CPR on unconscious victims.

“The number of casualties could have been significantly lower if basic safety protocols were in place,” TOI cited a local resident who helped ferry the injured to a nearby hospital.

Political overdrive amid police pleas

TOI reported that senior police officials had appealed to political leaders to postpone or shift the parade due to the city’s limitations in managing such a massive crowd. However, a senior cabinet minister reportedly overruled the concerns, insisting the show must go on and that the government must "draw mileage" from the event.
Even as officers scrambled for clarity till noon, fans continued to arrive - many unaware of the growing danger they were walking into.