In a damning report to the High Court, the Karnataka government has revealed that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had “unilaterally” decided to hold a victory parade on 4 June, following their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph, which eventually cultimated in the tragic deaths of 11 people.
While the government had initially sought to keep the report sealed, it has now been made public after the court stated there were no legal grounds of maintaining confidentiality.
The Quint has accessed the report, which now lay bare a chilling chain of lapses and oversight.
The Evening Before (3 June)
Part 1 — The Letter of Intimation
At 6:30 PM on 3 June — that is, on the night of the final, an hour before the match’s commencement — Rakesh, an employee at DNA Entertainment Networks sent a letter to the Inspector of Police of Cubbon Park Police Station, on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of KSCA, Shubhendu Ghosh.
In that letter, KSCA, alongside RCB and DNA, informed the authorities about organising a “victory ceremony,” featuring “various entertainment programmes,” at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, should RCB win the final.
Sir, on behalf of the M/s. DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited, KSCA requests to inform that after the TATA IPL 2025 Finals on 3rd June 2025, in case Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins the IPL 2025 title, M/s. DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited shall make plans for potential victory parades around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium which shall end with a victory celebrations at the Stadium. Sir, the route for the victory parade starts from Vidhana Soudha via Indian Express, Cubbon Road, M.G. Road shall finally end at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the victory parades continues to a victory ceremony at the Stadium where various entertainment programmes have been planned which involves the RCB Players & RCB Support Staff along with the RCB Management.KSCA's letter to PI Cubbon Park, on the evening of 3 June
Part 2 — Why the Intimation Didn’t Adhere to Law
Under the 2009 order regulating public assemblies, such an event required a formal application and police license — submitted seven days in advance — complete with crowd estimates and safety plans. Not only was the letter sent only an hour before the final, but it also was not a formal application for permission.
Moreover, any such public gatherings require communication regarding the estimated crowd size and safety measures, which was not to be in this case.
The Morning Of (4 June)
Part 1 — The Social Media Posts
With RCB winning their maiden IPL title after a prolonged wait of 18 years, spontaneous celebrations erupted across the city, which led to the deployment of 3,000 police personnel from MG Road to Koramangala.
But early next morning, at 7:01 AM, RCB's official social media handles confirmed the victory parade, but with no logistical details.
Exactly 59 minutes later, at 8 AM, the franchise further reiterated the event’s confirmation, while details were still not furnished to the public.
Finally, at 3:14 PM, RCB announced the details of what they called a “victory parade.” The parade was supposed to start from Vidhana Soudha at 5 PM and terminate at the Chinnaswamy Stadium at 6 PM, where a further set of events were planned.
Crucially, it was on this post that the franchise mentioned that entry to the stadium will require passes, which will be available for free.
Part 2 — Why Has Virat Kohli Been Mentioned Specifically?
The report also specifically mentions Virat Kohli. In a video uploaded at 8:55 AM — after the franchise had already confirmed a parade on two posts — where the cricketer was stated saying:
“I’m going to feel the real side of it when we get to Bengaluru tomorrow and celebrate this with the city.”
The video, at the time of writing, has 2.35 crore views on Instagram, as the report underscores the influence of a superstar like Kohli and the role his video played in triggering fan mobilisation.
Part 3 — What Was the Issue With the Posts?
Whilst it has been clarified previously that RCB, KSCA and DNA did not necessarily obtain either a permission or a license to organise the event, per the report, there was another flaw with the nature of the posts.
The parade was confirmed as early at 7:01 AM, but RCB had not mentioned about the requirement of passes till as late as 3:14 PM. As it turned out, more than 3 lakh fans had already gathered around the stadium by the time the announcement came, with the report stating that the fans were initially under the impression of it being an open-to-all event.
The Quint further corroborated this independently by speaking with a fan who was in attendance. We were informed that the fervour transpired into frenzy when fans were informed about the requirement of passes while they had already gathered at the gates, further adding to the chaos and delirium.
The Tragedy
RCB’s celebratory route began at HAL Airport, proceeding to Taj West End (their team hotel), and finally to Vidhana Soudha, where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah felicitated them. From there, the players moved toward Chinnaswamy Stadium — a mere kilometre away — and so did the thousands of fans who had gathered outside the legislative hall. However, as they did so, they ended up adding to the lakhs of supporters who were already queued up outside the stadium gates, eagerly awaiting entrance.
The Quint understands that with no queue system, gate coordination or communication strategies, coupled with the hysteria caused by the post mentioning the requirement of passes, a section of the crowd went rogue and began to break the gates open.
An eye-witness had previously informed us about the horror of seeing a fan getting crushed behind him, which he managed a narrow escape.
According to the report, gates 1, 2 and 21 were broken, while stampedes occurred outside as many as nine gates — 2, 2A, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21.
The result was the tragic loss of 11 lives, the youngest being only 14 years of age, while 47 more were injured. Moreover, 7 police personnel were also injured in the process.
Part 4 — Why Was the Event Conducted?
Despite the unfolding tragedy outside, the event went ahead — albeit in a curtailed format. Officials have claimed that cancelling the event could have led to more chaos, given the emotions that were at stake, and hence it was a necessary step to avoid further riots.
The Aftermath
The government ordered a magisterial inquiry led by Deputy Commissioner Jagadish G. Simultaneously, the High Court took suo motu cognisance.
Three FIRs were filed against RCB, KSCA, and DNA. The CID took over the investigation. Five senior police officers were suspended for “substantial dereliction of duty”:
B. Dayananda, Commissioner of Police
Vikash Kumar Vikash, Additional Commissioner (West)
Shekar H. Tekkanavar, DCP (Central Division)
C. Balakrishna, ACP (Cubbon Park)
A.K. Girish, Inspector (Cubbon Park)
Four arrests followed:
Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing & Revenue, RCSPL
Sunil Mathew, Director, DNA
Kiran Kumar, Event Manager, DNA
Shamant NP Mavinakere, freelance service provider
However, they were later released as the High Court found their arrests to be illegal.
In Conclusion
A member of the organising team had informed The Quint, on the condition of anonymity, that specific plans were not conveyed even to those who were in charge of conducting the event, resulting in widespread confusion.
The report reveals that only 515 police personnel were deployed outside a stadium that saw 3 lakh attendees — a ratio of 1 officer per 583 fans.
Justice Michael D'Cunha, in his judicial probe, indicted all four entities — RCB, KSCA, DNA, and the city police — for going ahead with the event despite knowing the crowd could not be safely controlled.
The Karnataka Cabinet has now approved criminal prosecution against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).