Bengaluru, July 17 (IANS) The Congress-led Karnataka government while pinning the blame on the RCB and other organisers in connection with the stampede case which claimed 11 lives on June 4, maintained that its reaction to the incident was both immediate and multifaceted.

Submitting the report on the incident in its answers to the specific set of questions raised by the Karnataka High Court, the government, talking about its role, claimed in the report: “In the wake of the serious incident the state government’s reaction was both immediate and multifaceted.”

Following the tragedy, on the evening of June 4, 2025, a Government Order was issued mandating a Magisterial Inquiry to be conducted by Jagadish G, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Bengaluru Urban District, with a timeline of 15 days for completion, the report said.

Simultaneously, three FIRs were registered on the morning of June 4 against the accused entities — RCB, KSCA, and DNA — and the investigation was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), following which arrest of four individuals was made as the investigation proceeded, it noted.

Recognising the need for accountability within the law enforcement hierarchy, the government took action against police officials on June 5, 2025.

A Government Order suspended five police officers, including three IPS officers of significant rank: the Commissioner of Police, the Inspector General and Additional Commissioner of Police, and the Deputy Commissioner of Police, alongside the Assistant Commissioner of Police for Cubbon Park and the Police Inspector of Cubbon Park, the government emphasised.

“To ensure a thorough and independent examination of the incident, the government established a One Man Commission of Inquiry on June 5, 2025, headed by retired High Court Justice Michael Cunha, with specific terms of reference and a mandate to complete the investigation and submit a comprehensive report within one month,” the government further stated to the court.

Talking about why the event was not cancelled even after stampede tragedy, the report stated: “However, amid concerns that abruptly shutting down the victory celebrations scheduled at the stadium could potentially incite violence among the gathered crowd and adversely affect overall law and order across the city, the event commenced at around 5.30 p.m., and a measured response was taken by curtailing the duration of the function.”

Instead of complete termination, a measured approach was adopted by allowing the event to proceed with significantly curtailed duration and enhanced monitoring. This tactical decision considered the evolving ground situation, crowd psychology, the massive scale of gathering, and the information asymmetry amongst the assembled masses, the report said.

The risk of large-scale rioting both within the stadium premises and throughout Bengaluru necessitated this careful balancing approach, prioritising overall public safety over immediate event cessation.

It is common and known in Law and Order situations, that cancellation of anticipated events can incite the crowd tremendously and lead to widespread mob violence, as has been seen in several events were such decisions have been take, the report stated.

Giving details of action taken prior to incident, the government said, “On June 3, a meeting was held by the Commissioner of Police with all the DCPs of the Law and Order and Traffic Divisions, during which the Commissioner of Police provided necessary instructions to all concerned to make appropriate security arrangements for the events that would unfold on the night of June 3, following the results of the final match.”

On the eve of June 3, RCB won the IPL finals, leading to city-wide celebrations by the public starting at approximately 11.30 p.m. and continuing until 5 a.m. on the morning of June 4.

This impromptu, unorganised celebrations was spread across the city at all major junctions, roads, and commercial areas, such as MG Road, Indiranagar, Koramangala, and Govindaraj Nagar, the report said.

Necessary arrangements for security and maintenance of law and order were made with the deployment of all DCPs from the Law and Order and Traffic Divisions, who led the ACPs and PIs in their respective jurisdictions under the overall supervision of the Commissioner of Police, it said.

Approximately 607 officers and 2,430 Head Constables/Police Constables were deployed on duty, and the celebrations were monitored and supervised efficiently to ensure that no untoward incidents occurred d on the intervening night of June 3 and June 4, the report stated.

The entire Bengaluru city Police force was deployed across the city based on pre-planned security measures put in place due to the anticipated reaction from the public whether there is a win or loss of the final match, it said.

The report also states that this status report is based on the information presently available and will be further developed on discovering further material during the course of the investigation.

–IANS

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