Victory celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans turned tragic on Wednesday when a stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium resulted in the deaths of 11 people, including a woman and a student. At least 47 others were injured as fans gathered for a planned victory parade following RCB’s IPL 2025 win.
The incident occurred when a large crowd attempted to enter the stadium through a gate near Cubbon Park. According to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, an unexpectedly large crowd of two to three lakh people gathered, overwhelming the stadium’s 35,000 capacity and breaking through a small gate, leading to the stampede.
Emergency services faced difficulties reaching the injured due to traffic congestion around the stadium. Victims were transported to nearby hospitals, including Bowring Hospital and Vydehi Multispecialty Hospital, using police vehicles, ambulances, and private cars. Police resorted to lathi charges to control the surging crowd, some of whom attempted to scale the stadium walls.
The state government faced criticism from the opposition for alleged failures in crowd management and security. Prime Minister Modi and Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot expressed condolences and called for an investigation into the incident to prevent future tragedies.