Karnataka government gave nod for RCB victory parade on June 4, confirms KSCA letter

In a June 3 letter to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), KSCA is mentioned as having assisted in obtaining approvals for the Vidhana Soudha felicitation event. Fans were ecstatic after RCB’s first IPL title victory, which sparked a huge public celebration.

Following the June 4 stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead and numerous others injured, a significant letter has come to light stating that the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had requested permission from the Karnataka state government to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s (RCB) IPL 2025 victory.

A social media invitation from the franchise led to commotion outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where millions of people gathered, while the official felicitation function in the Vidhana Soudha went off without a hitch. What should have been a joyful occasion devolved into a terrible tragedy that left eleven people dead and numerous others injured.

The KSCA faced criticism after the stampede, and its top officials—President Raghuram Bhat, Secretary A Shankar, and Treasurer E.S. Jairam—were the targets of a first information report (FIR).

However, the KSCA made it clear in a petition submitted to the Karnataka High Court that their function was exclusively restricted to expediting government permissions and expanding infrastructure.

They disclosed that the RCB franchise and its event partner, DNA Entertainment Networks, were responsible for the real crowd control and event management duties. This is confirmed in the letter that the state association sent to the local government officials.

“KSCA requests to notify on behalf of M/s DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited that, should Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the IPL 2025 title following the TATA IPL 2025 Finals on June 3, 2025, M/s DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited will arrange for the felicitation ceremony at the Vidhana Soudha Grand Steps.

“KSCA asks that M/s DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited be given permission to set up the Vidhana Soudha Grand Steps as needed. KSCA makes government clearances easier. The RCB Franchise and DNA are in charge of gate management, and they carry it out under police supervision. The petitioner and KSCA members were named as defendants by the police, who filed the FIR under extreme pressure and compelling circumstances without conducting any preliminary investigation,” the letter stated.

The other celebration outside the stadium was out of control, even though the ceremonial events at the Vidhana Soudha were well-regulated. Since then, the cricket organisation has claimed that it was not involved in planning or overseeing crowd management outside the stadium. After an urgent hearing, the Karnataka High Court has ordered the police to hold off on prosecuting KSCA officials until June 16. After taking suo motu (of its own will) notice of the stampede, the court has also requested that the state administration submit a thorough status report by June 10.