How a Bengaluru DCP, with just two cops, fought to control Chinnaswamy stampede

Bengaluru DCP (North) was among few officers managing a crowd surge at M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL celebration.

Bengaluru DCP (North) Saidulu Adavath was among the only senior officers on the ground when the crowd surged at multiple gates, The Indian Express reported.

By the end of the ordeal, 11 people had died and over 50 were injured. (ANI Grab )

When panic and overcrowding spiralled into tragedy at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, only a handful of police personnel were on ground, and among them, a single IPS officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Saidulu Adavath, tried to hold the crowd back with his team of two, the report added.

As over 5,000 fans of Royal Challengers Bengaluru surged toward the gates of the stadium to witness the IPL 2025 victory celebration, the situation worsened due to a simultaneous felicitation event at Vidhana Soudha attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

According to The Indian Express, the pressure on stadium entry points, particularly Gates 2, 2A, 6, 7, 16, 17, 18, and 21, turned them into chokepoints.

At Gate 17, where a lone private security guard was deployed, fans began to push through. The sudden surge led to a crush that turned fatal. Eyewitnesses told the publication that DCP Adavath, delayed by traffic, reached the scene and immediately began using a lathi to disperse the crowd. He managed to shut the gate from the inside, possibly preventing further casualties.

He and his two subordinates then moved towards other critical gates, particularly Gate 19, and continued lathi-charging the swelling crowd. While they managed to prevent a crush at Gate 19, five people had already collapsed near Gate 17 and had to be rushed for emergency treatment, the report added. By the end of the ordeal, 11 people had died and over 50 were injured.

The report adds that police reinforcements were significantly delayed, leaving Adavath and his small team to manage the chaos for nearly an hour. The DCP sustained a hand injury and experienced low blood pressure and irregular heartbeat, for which he was admitted to Ramaiah Hospital. He remains under observation, while his colleagues escaped unhurt.