On June 4, what was meant to be a day of celebration for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans turned into a heart-wrenching tragedy. A stampede outside Bengaluru’s iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium injured several and scarred many. Now, the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission’s tribunal has said the quiet part out loud: “Prima facie, RCB is responsible.”

Yes, the glitzy IPL franchise, known more for its star-studded line-up and electrifying fanbase than trophies, is now under scrutiny not for losing a match, but for losing control over its own madness.

The Cult of RCB: Passion or Pressure Cooker?

RCB is not just a team. It’s an emotion. The kind that can bring thousands to their knees—sometimes, quite literally. The franchise commands a cult-like following in Bengaluru, even with a title drought that could put any fanbase’s loyalty to the test.

So, when the team announced a free entry event for fans post their IPL season, it didn’t take long for social media to erupt. The idea was to celebrate the players’ performance, but without clear communication, tickets, or proper barricades, the venue turned into a human pressure cooker.

The result? A deadly mix of unregulated crowds, heat, and desperation leading to a stampede that now haunts the city.

A Dangerous Cocktail of Poor Planning & Blind Fandom

The tribunal’s assessment hits hard. It points out that the franchise failed to take necessary permissions or coordinate with law enforcement adequately. Add to that a lack of basic crowd control infrastructure and the sheer emotional frenzy IPL teams like RCB stir and you’ve got a disaster waiting to happen.

It’s one thing to fuel fandom. It’s another to ignite chaos.

This wasn’t just a lapse. It was a systemic failure where responsibility was passed around like a cricket ball in a sloppy fielding drill.

Who’s Really To Blame? The Team, The Police, or the System?

While RCB is being named, the real question is: why did no one intervene before it escalated?

Where were the police barricades? Why didn’t BCCI have stricter event compliance rules for teams holding public gatherings? Why wasn’t crowd psychology accounted for, especially in a cricket-crazed country?

We’ve seen this before, be it during movie launches, celebrity appearances, or temple processions. When crowd dynamics are ignored, tragedies follow.

The Price of Hero Worship in a Cricket-Crazy Nation

In a country where cricket is religion and cricketers are demigods, fan events aren't just meet-and-greets, they're pilgrimages. But somewhere between the chants of “Ee Sala Cup Namde” and the roar of the crowd, we forgot one thing: human safety.

RCB owes its fans more than Instagram reels and viral chants. It owes them responsibility. After all, without these fans, the franchise would just be another corporate logo on a jersey.

Final Over: Where Do We Go From Here?

This isn’t just about RCB. It’s a wake-up call for every IPL franchise and event organizer in India. Glorifying star power without accountability is a recipe for disaster.

Should teams be allowed to conduct large-scale events without mandatory security protocols? Should there be a nationwide IPL crowd control policy? Maybe the glitz needs to meet some governance.

Because when the euphoria fades, what remains is the echo of footsteps... and the silence of lives lost.