‘No crowd control measures, no planning': Opposition slams Karnataka government over RCB victory parade stampede

Indian Express

3 days ago

What was supposed to be a jubilant celebration of Royal Challengers Bangalore's first Indian Premier League title ended in tragedy on Wednesday, after a stampede near Gate 3 of Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium left at least 11 people dead and 33 injured. As news of the incident spread, there was an outpouring of grief and outrage from across across the country. While politicians across the political spectrum offered their condolences, they also slammed the Karnataka government and IPL franchise for shoddy crowd management at the high-profile event.
Calling the tragedy 'heartrending,' Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were with the families of the victims.
'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: PM @narendramodi,' the Prime Minister's office said in a post on X.
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: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 4, 2025
Assuring the people of Bangalore that he was standing with them in their hour of grief, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged the Congress-led Karnataka government to provide all possible support to those affected and review the security protocols for the event. Gandhi wrote on X: 'The tragic 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.'
'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 Congress leader said.
The tragic 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…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 4, 2025
'Deeply shocked,' wrote Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on X.' A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.'
Deeply shocked by the tragic loss of lives in the stampede during the RCB victory celebrations near Chinnaswamy Stadium. A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow.
I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.…
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) June 4, 2025
At a press conference later in the evening, he announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those who were killed in the stampede, and free treatment for the injured. He also ordered a magisterial inquiry to look for those responsible for the incident.
The Congress leader also said that the turnout was far beyond what the government had anticipated. 'The crowd turnout exceeded all expectations. Over one lakh people gathered in front of Vidhana Soudha, but no untoward incident occurred at that venue. However, the tragedy occurred at Chinnaswamy Stadium. No one anticipated this – neither the cricket association nor the government. The stadium has a seating capacity of 35,000, but an estimated two to three lakh people turned up. We did not expect such a massive turnout; we had only anticipated a crowd equal to the stadium's capacity,' Siddaramaiah said.
Siddaramaiah's deputy in the government, DK Shivakumar, echoing this sentiment, in one of the first statements after the stampede, asserted that this was not a 'controllable crowd,' and 'apologised' to the people of Bengaluru for not holding an open-bus victory parade or a 'procession'.
'I apologise to all the people of Bengaluru and Karnataka. We wanted to take out a procession, but the crowd is uncontrollable,' he said, adding that the police denied permission to hold an open-bus victory parade as the 'crowd gathered more than they anticipated'.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed grief over the loss of lives. In a post on X, Kharge called on the authorities to immediately strengthen safety protocols for such events to prevent any future tragedy like this.
'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.
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…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 4, 2025
'The state government and relevant authorities must immediately review and strengthen safety protocols for such events to prevent any recurrence of such a tragedy. The joy of victory should never come at the cost of lives,' Kharge added.
Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy said that the Congress government in Karnataka should take full responsibility for the stampede and alleged that lack of proper planning and 'complete failure' to take precautionary measures led to this unfortunate incident.
'It is extremely painful to see innocent lives lost even before the celebrations could begin. The primary reason for this massive tragedy is the lack of proper planning and complete failure to take precautionary measures. The state government, led by @INCKarnataka, must take full responsibility for this disaster,' the JD(S) leader said in a post on X.
The tragic incident of a stampede near Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium during the RCB victory celebrations, resulting in the unfortunate death of people, has left me deeply shocked.
It is extremely painful to see innocent lives lost even before the celebrations could begin.
The…
— ಹೆಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ | H.D.Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) June 4, 2025
'It is my heartfelt concern that the cricket fans who had gathered near the stadium and Vidhana Soudha to witness the celebrations should return home safely without panic or distress. The police must take emergency measures in this regard and assist the public,' the former Chief Minister of the state added.
The BJP launched a blistering attack on on the state government, blaming them for the stampede.
'7 dead. Many are battling for life after a stampede due to the irresponsibility of Congress govt. No crowd control measures. No basic arrangements. Just chaos. While innocent people died, @siddaramaiah & @DKShivakumar were busy shooting reels & hogging limelight with cricketers. Shame on this photo-op Congress government. This is criminal negligence. Blood is on the hands of Congress govt,' the Karnataka BJP posted on X.
7 dead. Many are battling for life after a stampede due to the irresponsibility of Congress govt.
No crowd control measures. No basic arrangements. Just chaos.
While innocent people died, @siddaramaiah & @DKShivakumar were busy shooting reels & hogging limelight with… pic.twitter.com/IVPuQjXxcq
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) June 4, 2025
State BJP chief BY Vijayendra said the government went ahead with the event despite warnings from police officials and a lack of preparedness. He lashed out at the Congress administration, drawing comparisons with crowd management during the World Cup victory parade in Mumbai.
'Stampede-like scenes during RCB's victory celebrations are not just tragic, they are a damning indictment of the Congress government,' Vijayendra said. 'Did CM @siddaramaiah even review the crowd safety plan? Did DCM @DKShivakumar, in charge of Bengaluru, ensure medical and police deployment?
'Mumbai hosted a massive World Cup parade without a single stampede. So why did Bengaluru fail? Because in Karnataka, Congress cares more about publicity than public safety. The fans of @RCBTweets and the people of Karnataka deserve answers. Therefore, I urge the government to order a judicial inquiry and fix accountability for this avoidable tragedy.'
Stampede-like scenes during RCB's victory celebrations are not just tragic, they are a damning indictment of the Congress government.
Did CM @siddaramaiah even review the crowd safety plan?
Did DCM @DKShivakumar, in charge of Bengaluru, ensure medical and police deployment?… pic.twitter.com/Bxe6qeyd9D
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) June 4, 2025
Vijayendra visited one of the hospitals where victims were being treated. 'There was no ambulance available inside. No police arrangement was there inside the stadium. What nonsense is this?' he said.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also blamed the Congress government: 'It's heartbreaking to see such loss because of poor planning and crowd mismanagement.'
'The state government in Karnataka has clearly failed in its responsibility. 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. The Government is responsible for this and accountability needs to be fixed,' he added.
Seven people died in a stampede in Karnataka. It's heartbreaking to see such loss because of poor planning and crowd mismanagement. The state government in Karnataka has clearly failed in its responsibility.
Celebrations is one thing, but the State government without proper…
— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) June 4, 2025
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya called the tragedy an 'irreparable loss' caused by 'poor planning and crowd mismanagement.'
'A celebration has turned into a nightmare… Lives were lost due to negligence, not chance,' he posted.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the organisers of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory parade should have handled the event better after a stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium left 11 dead.
'It is very unfortunate,' Saikia told PTI. 'This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for their cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.'
He stressed the need for coordination and safety in mass celebrations. 'When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There have been some lapses somewhere,' he said, contrasting it with smooth parades in Kolkata and Mumbai.
Referring to the IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad, he noted: 'Even yesterday in Ahmedabad, during the IPL final, there were 120,000 people… BCCI has a dedicated team which has done elaborate planning.'
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal added: 'It was not a BCCI event. It is sad and tragic. The celebrations turned into a tragedy. Our heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.'
'When I told RCB officials, they assured me they would wind up the event,' he said.
RCB, which won the IPL final against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, was scheduled to celebrate their victory in Bengaluru Wednesday. The team arrived at HAL Airport on a special flight on Wednesday afternoon.
As planned, a felicitation programme took place at Vidhana Soudha, with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in attendance. Later, the team was set to participate in a victory parade on an open bus. Thousands of fans gathered in front of Vidhana Soudha as well as outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium.