Bengaluru Stampede: The Price of Ignoring Wise Counsel?

Bengaluru, June 6, 2025 — The stampede that claimed 11 lives during what was meant to be a jubilant celebration of RCB’s IPL victory has turned into a full-blown political and administrative storm.

At the centre of the outrage is a haunting question: Was this disaster a consequence of ignoring the counsel of the wise?

Sources indicate that Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara had strongly advised against hosting the large-scale celebrations without meticulous planning. His concerns, it appears, were brushed aside by what insiders call a “powerful” voice in the government.

“This was never meant to be a state-sponsored event. It was a celebration of a private franchise's win. The government stepping in without a structured plan was the first misstep,” said a highly-placed source.

According to the source, there were three major events planned:

•          A felicitation at the Grand Stairs of Vidhana Soudha.
•       A victory parade through Bengaluru streets.
•         A grand celebration at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Dr. Parameshwara, drawing from experience and security concerns, had reportedly raised red flags and opposed the idea of unplanned public gatherings. The commissioner then, B Dayananada too had taken same stand as the minister. The HM’s intervention led to the cancellation of the victory parade. The Vidhana Soudha event went smoothly, but tragedy struck at the stadium.

“It became a one-man show driven by the urge to hog the limelight,” the source added. “Had the Home Minister’s caution been heeded, this could have been entirely avoided.”

Sources said the Chief Minister was upset over the haste with which the event was planned.

The High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and sought a detailed report. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has swung into action, ordering the suspension of top officials— including then Bengaluru Commissioner of Police B. Dayananda, along with the Additional Commissioner (west) Vikash Kumar Vikash, Deputy Commissioner Shekar H. Acition has been initiated against the ACP and inspector too.  

But the big question remains:

Were the senior police officials scapegoated for the errors of others?

Multiple sources suggest that even the Police Commissioner had backed the Home Minister’s stance, but their voices were drowned out by political pressure.

“This disaster is very unfortunate. The lesson here is simple: when wisdom is ignored, chaos follows,” the source said grimly. “The inquiry, I’m sure, will expose the fault lines—and set a benchmark for how not to conduct public celebrations in future.”

 The episode has not only claimed innocent lives but also exposed the perils of side lining experience and expert advice in favour of spectacle. As the probe unfolds, the truth behind the silenced warnings may well reshape how Karnataka approaches large-scale public events going forward.

The enquiry will find who erred – if the government, or few ‘powerful’ in the government, or KSCA, or RCB or the police.  

With the changes in the police brass, ADGP Seemanth Kumar Singh has taken over as new police commissioner.