Hyderabad: Unplanned street celebrations following RCB’s IPL victory have sparked serious safety concerns, with Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand warning that such large, unruly gatherings can easily spiral into chaos, much like the stampede in Bengaluru.
Addressing the issue on Thursday, Anand said, “Watching and hearing about the stampede in Bangalore made me wonder where we are heading. This is not a national team winning the World Cup! It’s a mere franchise called RCB which works on commercial lines and doesn’t even have a single Hyderabad player in it. It’s not even a Hyderabad-based team!”
Anand recounted how, around midnight, night patrol officers were caught off guard as crowds of revellers, mostly youngsters, swarmed Tank Bund, NTR Marg, and Necklace Road. “Traffic was jammed in all directions, and the videos circulating online show alarming levels of unruliness,” he said. To contain the situation, extra forces were rushed in, and police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
He stressed that such spontaneous street celebrations by large crowds are a serious threat to public safety, warning that Hyderabad could have witnessed fatalities similar to those in Bengaluru. “What if there were some deaths in Hyderabad too? Can anyone justify celebrating RCB here?” Anand asked.
The Commissioner noted the challenge of social media’s role in fuelling mass gatherings, saying, “With social media playing such a huge role across the country and the globe, the police might have to be alert for everything and everyone in future. Is it humanly possible to do so? That’s what I’m wondering,” he added.
Watching and hearing about the stampede in Bangalore made me wonder where we are going ! This is not a national team winning the World Cup ! It’s a mere franchise called RCB which works on commercial lines and does not have a single Hyderabad player in it !?
It’s not even a… pic.twitter.com/Hmpae0U9DZ— CV Anand IPS (@CVAnandIPS) June 5, 2025