The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has formed a dedicated committee to develop guidelines after the tragic stampede during celebrations in Bengaluru, which resulted in the loss of 11 lives. Fans had gathered on June 4 to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title win.
The committee, composed of BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, vice-president Rajiv Shukla, and treasurer Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, has been tasked with completing their guidelines within 15 days. Despite the severity of the incident, the BCCI has yet to issue an official statement concerning the events at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
On the day of the incident, an overwhelming number of supporters converged on the stadium to participate in the RCB victory parade. In the aftermath, Karnataka’s Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, commanded a full investigation and instructed the Bengaluru police to detain officials from both RCB and DNA Entertainment, the event organisers believed to have been involved. On June 6, Nikhil Sosale, RCB’s head of marketing and revenue, along with two DNA officials, were arrested in connection with the stampede but were released on bail by June 13.
Additionally, two senior figures from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), A Shankar and ES Jairam, stepped down from their roles, expressing their “moral responsibility” over the tragic event. The incident has prompted a call for accountability and a reassessment of crowd management strategies to ensure such disasters are prevented in the future.
