Karnataka govt holds RCB, Kohli responsible for Bengaluru tragedy

On June 4, a crowd surge outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations left 11 dead and dozens injured.

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00:00The Karnataka government says RCB caused a stampede.

00:03But weren't they the ones rolling out the red carpet?

00:05On June 4th, a crowd surge outside Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswami Stadium

00:08during RCB's IPL victory celebrations left 11 people dead and dozens injured.

00:13Over a month later, the state government had submitted its worship of events

00:17to the High Court, placing the blame squarely on Royal Challenger's Bengaluru,

00:21event organiser DNA Entertainment Networks, and even Virat Kohli.

00:25According to the report, organisers never sought formal permission.

00:28Police had explicitly denied approval, but the event went ahead anyway

00:33after only an intimation to authorities, the report says.

00:36Public posts by RCB, including a video invitation from Kohli,

00:39drew an estimated 3 lakh people to the stadium, the report says.

00:43At 3.14pm, organisers abruptly announced that entry passes are required,

00:48contradicting earlier claims of free public access, the report says.

00:51The report adds that this last-minute change triggered panic and confusion outside the venue.

00:56But while the report outlines lapses by organisers and security officials,

01:00it barely addresses the state's own visible involvement.

01:03On the day of the event, Deputy CM TK Shivkumal received the players at the airport

01:07and helped coordinate two felicitation events, including the one at Chinnaswami Stadium.

01:12CM Siddharamaya welcomed the team at Vidana Sauda, where the celebrations began.

01:16Despite officially denying permission, top ministers were front and centre,

01:20attending, celebrating and appearing across the venues.

01:23Since the tragedy the government has launched, judicial and magisterial inquiries,

01:27transferred senior officials, suspended the CM's political secretary,

01:31registered FIRs and announced compensation for victims' families.

01:35And now it's pointing fingers at cricketers and event planners.

01:38But if the event wasn't authorised, why were the state's highest leaders part of it?

01:42Why did it happen at all, with full political presence and public fanfare,

01:46if it had no clearance, RCB celebrated, ministers celebrated,

01:50but 11 families will remember June 4, not for victory, but for loss.