In the aftermath of the tragic stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 4th, 2025, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people and injuries to 75 others, the Karnataka government has placed the blame squarely on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL franchise. The government asserted in court that RCB's enthusiastic social media promotion of a victory rally incited a massive crowd surge without prior authorization.

According to the state government, RCB published several tweets declaring a victory parade in Bengaluru while still in Ahmedabad following their IPL victory. The government contends that these tweets urged everyone to attend the victory celebrations, and were viewed by 130 million people, but without first obtaining permission from the government. While authorities prepared for roughly 150,000 attendees, the actual number was substantially higher due to the tweets.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has distanced his administration from the stadium event, stating that it was not a government-organized program. He said that the Karnataka State Cricket Association had extended an invitation to everyone for the event. The Chief Minister also pointed to lapses in security arrangements by the police department. According to the CM, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) issued conditional permission for the event at Vidhana Soudha, and it was the police's responsibility to ensure security based on those conditions.

The state government has taken action, suspending multiple IPS officers, including the Bengaluru city police commissioner, B Dayananda. An FIR has also been filed against the Karnataka Cricket Board Administrative Committee, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and others in connection with the Bengaluru stampede case.

The Chief Minister stated that he was only informed of the stampede at 5:45 pm, even though the injured were admitted to the hospital at 3:50 pm. He also said that the police department did not provide comprehensive information about the police security arrangements at the venue of the event.

The Karnataka High Court is hearing the case, and the government's advocate general has argued that RCB's tweets led to a massive public gathering in the city without obtaining any permission from the government. The court has questioned the government about whether the CM had indeed issued any instruction to arrest officials of RCB and DNA Entertainment Ltd, as claimed by senior advocate Sandesh Chouta, who is appearing for Nikhil Sosale, the marketing and revenue head of RCB.

The opposition BJP has demanded a three-day special legislative session to discuss the stampede and plans to meet the governor and president to seek dismissal of the Congress-led government.