"But my son will not return": Bengaluru stampede victim's family receives ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh

India Gazette

6 hours ago

Tumkur (Karnataka) [India], June 9 (ANI): Devraj, father of deceased Manoj Kumar, who died in the Bengaluru stampede incident among 10 others, received ex-gratia worth Rs 25 lakh by the Karnataka government and said that he would use the relief funds for the benefit of his daughter, who still depends on him.
He expressed deep sorrow over the demise of his child and said that the financial assistance given to his family wouldn't bring his son back to life.
'I have been given a cheque of Rs 25 lakhs, but my son will not return. I will not use this money for my benefit... I will put it in the account of my daughter and her mother and keep the money for her future,' Devraj told ANI.
Earlier, Tumkur Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Subha Kalyan said that the father of the deceased Manoj Kumar was given ex-gratia worth Rs 25 lakh from the Chief Minister's relief fund.
'11 people lost their lives, one of them was Manoj Kumar from Tumkur district. Today, we received an order from the CM's office to immediately disburse a relief amount of Rs 25 lakh to his father, Devraj. We have handed him the cheque from the CM relief fund,' Kalyan told ANI.
The DM stated that the deceased was a top student with over 85 per cent marks in Karnataka SSLC and was slated to go abroad to secure a job.
'He (the father) shared that he had a lot of dreams for his son, who was a topper and had scored more than 85 per cent in SSLC. He (the son) was slated to go to a foreign country for job opportunities. It is unfortunate that dreams, which a father carries, will not see the light of day,' she added.
Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had ordered an increase in the compensation announced for the families of those who died in the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede in Bengaluru to Rs 25 lakh each. Earlier, the government had announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has said that the details regarding the Bengaluru stampede incident will emerge after the probe concludes. The stampede that occurred during celebrations outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Indian Premier League (IPL) victory celebrations claimed 11 lives.
'Everything will be known after investigation, including who said what, what statements were given earlier, when, and by whom,' Parameshwara told reporters here.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday said that a commission has been formed that is currently conducting an inquiry into the Bengaluru stampede incident, where 11 people had lost their lives on June 4 during RCB's IPL victory celebrations.
He refrained from commenting on the matter, noting that the state's Home Minister would provide a detailed response.'The commission is conducting an inquiry. I will not say much. The Home Minister will reply,' Shivakumar said.
Moreover, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said the government is seriously considering moving the city's cricket stadium to a new location to prevent such incidents in the future.
Speaking to the media, Siddaramaiah expressed deep personal pain over the tragedy, confirmed that the government is contemplating long-term solutions, and said that the government can shift the stadium to a different place.
'The government will look into shifting the cricket stadium to another location,' he said.'Such an unpleasant incident should not happen under any government. Personally, this incident has hurt me and the government,' he added.
'Five police officers have been suspended in this case. The intelligence chief and the chief minister's political secretary have been replaced,' Siddaramaiah confirmed. (ANI)