Following the tragic stampede outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 people, Indian Premier League’s (IPL) founder Lalit Modi has expressed concerns over the mismanagement by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the authorities.
Modi blamed both the authorities and RCB’s management for the disaster, pointing out that no one seemed to care about the lives and well-being of the fans who had come to celebrate the team’s maiden title win after a long 18 years of waiting.
“What is happening to the details about the stampede in Bengaluru after the win of @RCBTweets in the @IPL – Their is so much mud slinging and finger pointing going on. The issue is simple. It should never have been allowed by the authorities if they had no proper arrangement and secondly the players and team management should have ensured the same is in place before participating in the so called celebrations,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“The poor fans who died and got hurt in this tragic incident are just passionate about the game and their team. They deserve better. I am totally in despair that no one respects the fans. This victory will haunt the #rcb franchise and the PLAYERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS celebration for EVER. Mark my words. A single death or a single injury should be totally unacceptable. Heads should roll. That to is not good enough. Value of life and well Being of fans has to be paramount. But it seems …. No one seems to care,” he wrote further.
What is happening to the details about the stampede in Bengaluru after the win of @RCBTweets in the @IPL – Their is so much mud slinging and finger pointing going on. The issue is simple. It should never have been allowed by the authorities if they had no proper arrangement and…
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 9, 2025
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Meanwhile, the tragedy has triggered political unrest in Karnataka as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar have come under intense scrutiny, with the Opposition parties demanding their resignations. Both the leaders flew to Delhi to brief the Congress high command. The Congress leadership has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the explanations provided, and the incident has exposed serious lapses in coordination and decision-making by the government.
Furthermore, the Karnataka High Court has demanded detailed answers to nine critical questions related to crowd control, medical preparations, and event permissions. The court further questioned that how was the event allowed despite police’s red signal.
Two days earlier, KSCA Secretary A. Shankar and Treasurer E.S. Jairam resigned from their posts, and the board accepted their resignations. RCB’s marketing head, Nikhil Sosale, was arrested in connection with the case and remains in police custody, with no interim relief granted. In contrast, KSCA officials have been provided interim protection by the court on the condition that they cooperate fully with the investigation.
