“2.5 Lakh Gathered After Free Entry News”: Karnataka Govt Tells HC on Bengaluru Stampede Tragedy

Bengaluru: During a suo motu hearing into the tragic stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives, the Karnataka government informed the High Court on Thursday that an unexpected crowd of 2.5 lakh people had gathered to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory.

Appearing for the state, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said, “The crowd surged to this scale after it was published that entry was free. People from outside Karnataka also arrived in large numbers, which aggravated the situation.”

The court was told that over 1,400 personnel, including senior officials, had been deployed for crowd management in and around the stadium. However, despite these efforts, the sheer volume of attendees overwhelmed the arrangements.

Shetty further informed the bench that the government has initiated a magisterial inquiry into the incident, and the findings would be submitted within 15 days. “We have already served notices and are not sparing anyone responsible,” he assured. He also added, “The entire probe will be video recorded and submitted before the court.”

Responding to the court’s queries about crowd control and infrastructure, the Advocate General said, “There were a total of 21 gates, and instructions were to keep all of them open for smooth entry. However, around 2 lakh people were outside the immediate venue area, which created pressure points despite precautions.”

The division bench, while acknowledging the enormity of the tragedy, emphasized the need for a robust Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in such situations. “Are there enough vehicles available during such emergencies? Which hospitals will receive the injured? All these must be included in the SOP,” the bench observed.