Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday confirmed the death of 11 people and 33 injured following a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru where lakhs of people gathered for RCB victory celebrations.
The BJP on Wednesday slammed the Congress government in Karnataka over the deaths in a stampede, demanding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G Parameshwara take responsibility for the incident.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday confirmed the death of 11 people and 33 injured following a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru where lakhs of people gathered for RCB victory celebrations.
Expressing grief over the incident, CM announced Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the kin of those deceased, while also ordering a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences for the deaths at the stampede and described it as "absolutely heartrending".
The RCB won their maiden title with a six-run victory over Punjab Kings in the IPL final at Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Lakhs of people had gathered outside the venue which only had a capacity for 35,000 people, as per CM. Police struggled to take control of the situation, resorting to mild use of force as well, as people desperate to get into the stadium were seen pressed against the entrance gate.
According to eyewitnesses, fans thronged the venue of felicitation. Visuals showed police shifting the injured and those who fell unconscious to nearby hospitals in ambulances.
Expressing grief over the incident, he announced Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the kin of those deceased, while also ordering a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Action will be taken if anyone is found wrong, he added.
"The cricket association had organised a programme for the victory celebration (at the stadium), there was also a programme from the government (Vidhana Soudha). At the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a big tragedy happened. Due to the stampede, 11 people have died and 33 have suffered injuries," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital and Vydehi Super Speciality Hospital here, he said such a tragedy shouldn't have happened. The government expresses grief over the incident.
Stating that most of the deceased are youth, including men and women, the CM said the government has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of each deceased.
Instructions have been given to provide free treatment for the injured, he said, adding that outpatients totalling 47 people.
Noting that the stadium has the capacity for 35,000 people, the CM said 2-3 lakh people had gathered.
CM also held a press conference later in the evening where he said, "I don't want to defend this incident. Our government will not do politics on this. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry and given 15 days' time. People even broke the gates of the stadium. There was a stampede. No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people came..."
He also referred to the stampede that took place in Mahakumbh mela earlier this year after his government received backlash from BJP over this incident, he said, ""Such incidents happened in many places; I am not going to defend it by comparing them and saying that it happened here and there... 50-60 people died in Kumbh Mela. I did not criticise. If Congress criticises, then that is a different matter. Did I or the Karnataka government criticise?"
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in his initial reaction to the stampede said, "They have broken the gates. I think a lot of stampede has happened. I have spoken to the police commissioner and officials....the exact number of deaths is still not known. We are at it, we appeal to everyone to be calm."
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said he is visiting hospitals, where treatment is underway. The chief minister, ministers and police officials are already visiting.
"There was a huge crowd. We saw it from the airport itself. So we decided to cancel the procession and brought them (team) in a closed vehicle. There was a request for a procession at least from Vidhana Soudha. As there was rain, the crowd got uncontrolled, so we cancelled that procession too. Here (at the stadium) too there were arrangements, for a procession -- an hour-long programme. We instructed to conclude it in 10-15 minutes and, accordingly, it was done," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday described the stampede in Bengaluru as "absolutely heartrending".
In a post on X, Modi said, "The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery."
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed sadness on Wednesday over a tragic stampede and urged the state government to strengthen safety protocols to avoid such incidents in the future.
"I am deeply saddened by the tragic stampede in Bengaluru during the celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 victory. The loss of precious lives and the injuries sustained by many in this unfortunate incident are profoundly distressing.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured," Kharge said in a post on X.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the stampede near Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB's IPL victory celebrations is heartbreaking.
"My condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. Wishing a swift and full recovery to all those injured.
"In this hour of grief, I stand with the people of Bengaluru. The Karnataka government must provide all possible support and relief to the affected families," Gandhi said in a post on X.
"This tragedy is a painful reminder: no celebration is worth a human life. Every safety protocol for public events must be reviewed and strictly enforced -- lives must always come first," the former Congress president said.
The BJP on Wednesday slammed the Congress government in Karnataka over the deaths in a stampede, demanding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G Parameshwara take responsibility for the incident.
Karnataka BJP chief B Y Vijayendra accused the Siddaramaiah government of pressuring the police and organising celebrations without any preparedness and adequate police deployment.
"Is it not the responsibility of the state government to be prepared? Were they not aware that lakhs and lakhs of people will come to the celebrations?" Vijayendra said in Bengaluru.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi held the Karnataka government responsible for the incident and demanded that responsibility be fixed.
바카라It바카라s heartbreaking to see such loss because of poor planning and crowd mismanagement,바카라 the BJP MP from Karnataka바카라s Dharwad Lok Sabha seat said in a post on X.
The state government in Karnataka has 바카라clearly바카라 failed in its responsibility, he charged.
바카라(Holding) celebrations is one thing, but the state government without proper planning, without taking emergency services into confidence, took this urgent and unfortunate decision. This could have been avoided,바카라 Joshi said.
바카라The government is responsible for this and accountability needs to be fixed,바카라 he added.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident and accused the BJP of doing politics over the tragedy.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla targeted the state government, blaming "state-sponsored negligence" for the loss of lives.
바카라A matter of celebration has become a matter of tragedy바카라Home Minister (G Parameshwara) must take the responsibility. Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) must take the responsibility. Under their watch, law and order and general administration and even crowd management was not possible,바카라 he charged.
바카라Nothing short of state-sponsored negligence, state-sponsored callousness, state-sponsored murder,바카라 Poonawalla alleged, adding, 바카라This is the true face of the Congress in Karnataka.바카라 Another BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari charged the Karnataka government with 바카라criminal negligence바카라.
바카라Innocent lives lost in a horrific stampede 바카라 all because the Congress government couldn바카라t manage a crowd. No planning, no responsibility, no accountability. This is not just misgovernance, it's criminal negligence." Bhandari said Bengaluru was recently drowning in rain and chaos while Siddaramaiah and Rahul Gandhi were busy 바카라enjoying red carpet celebrations바카라.
바카라Today, the people are paying the price for their apathy and arrogance,바카라 the BJP spokesperson said.