RCB Victory Celebration Stampede: Rahul Dravid REACTS To Bengaluru Tragedy, Says 'Shouldn't Have Happened'

Former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid broke his silence on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru victory parade that ended in a tragedy after a stampede claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 others outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 4, Wednesday.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru arrived in the city to much fanfare as they clinched their maiden IPL title after defeating Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, June 3. However, the celebration turned unexpectedly tragic as a larger crowd than expected thronged outside the iconic venue, leading to a deadly stampede that resulted in multiple casualties and injuries.

It was reported that over 2 lakh people gathered outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium before the team arrived in the city, but things went out of control due to overcrowding, mismanagement, and lack of coordination between local authorities and event organizers, leading to a tragedy that marred what was meant to be joyous day for Bengalureans and RCB fans.

'Heartbreaking and should not have happened'

Reacting to the Bengaluru stampede during the RCB victory celebration, Rahul Dravid stated it was 'heartbreaking' and 'very disappointing, adding that the city is passionate about all sports, apart from cricket. He also said that such an incident should have happened and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, who lost their lives in the tragedy.

“Very disappointing.“It's very sad. Bengaluru is a sports-passionate city. I come from here. People over here love all sports, not just cricket. They follow all the sports and also all the sporting teams, be it a football team or a kabaddi team.” Dravid told NDTV.

“It's really heartbreaking that such an unfortunate incident happened. Our thoughts go out to everyone for unfortunately lost their lives and those who were injured. Such a tragedy shouldn't have happened," he added.

You didn't cancel the ceremony inspite of knowing that innocent Kannadiga are dying just 20 Meters away in Stampede Optics with RCB was important for Congress Government congress twitter/jK5APu83FU

- Vikram Pratap Singh (@VIKRAMPRATAPSIN) June 4, 2025

The stampede took place when Royal Challengers Bengaluru players were felicitated by the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivkumar at the Vidhana Soudha. Despite the tragedy, RCB continued their celebrations at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in the presence of DK Shivkumar, but they cut short the event after receiving the news of the incident. RCB franchise announced a financial support of INR 10 lakh to the families of each victim, while the Karnataka Cricket Association announced 5 lakh compensation before hiking it to 25 lakh to each victim's family.

What happened to the Bengaluru stampede case?

Following the incident, a First Investigation Report (FIR) was filed against RCB marketing and revenue head Nikhil Sosale, the Karnataka Cricket Association, and event management company DNA Entertainment. Sosale was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport while he was leaving with his family to Mumbai on June 6.

Nikhil Sosale and others were taken into police custody at Cubbon Park, and the RCB marketing head approached the Karnataka High Court with a petition through his counsel for an immediate release from the custody, questioning the legality of the arrest, alleging that the arrest was on the directive of the Karnataka chief minister.

Meanwhile, the secretary and treasurer, A Shankar and E.S. Jairam, respectively, stepped down from their positions at Karnataka Cricket Association. Earlier Monday, the Karnataka High Court restrained the authorities from taking any action against RCB and event partner DNA Entertainment until June 12.

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