Latest news with #Lakshman
Mint
a day ago
- Sport
- Mint
‘Photo opportunity cost': Father of Bengaluru stampede victim refuses to leave son's grave
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL victory in 18 years – which was anticipated to be a grand celebration – turned ghastly, leaving at least 11 people dead and 47 injured after a stampede broke out at the gates of the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Still, beyond the statistics lie heartbreaking stories, such as that of a father seen in a viral video clinging to his son's grave in anguish. The video doing the rounds on social media shows BT Lakshman – father of 21-year-old Bhumik Lakshman, who died in the stampede – crying inconsolably at his son's grave, refusing to leave him, in their native village in Hassan district. 'What happened to my son should not happen to anyone,' he says, lying on the ground with his head pressed against the grave. 'The land I had bought for him is where his memorial has been built.' Refusing to let go, Lakshman adds, 'I don't want to go anywhere else now. I want to stay here too,' as two men approach and help him to his feet. 'No father should have to face what I am facing,' he says. Bhumik, a final-year engineering student, was among the thousands who had gathered outside Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday to celebrate and catch a glimpse of the RCB players after their historic IPL title win – the team's first in 18 years. Tragically, he was one of the 11 people, including a 14-year-old girl, who lost their lives in the resulting stampede. The video of Mr Lakshman at his son's grave was also shared by the Karnataka unit of the BJP, which has accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar of being 'murderous.' 'Murderous CM @siddaramaiah sir, murderous DCM @DKShivakumar sir, if you had made up your mind, you could have taken a photo with your children and grandchildren in a luxurious hotel with a cup. But your insistence on taking a photo on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha has made 11 families wash their hands in tears every day. Can you give this father his son back?' the BJP Karnataka handle posted in Kannada on X. The video also evoked a plethora of responses from social media users, who slammed Bengaluru Police's security arrangements, while several believed that 'a photo opportunity cost so many lives.'
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
‘I Want To Stay Here Too': Father Mourns Son's Death In Bengaluru Stampede
Last Updated: Four individuals have been arrested concerning the stampede, and five police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, have been suspended. A heart-wrenching video of a father mourning over his son's grave has brought the personal tragedies of the stampede to the forefront, where 11 people lost their lives and 47 were injured at the Chinnaswamy Stadium after RCB's IPL victory celebrations turned chaotic. The incident occurred on Wednesday when people celebrated the RCB's victory in the Indian Premier League. In the video, a man, BT Lakshma, who is the father of 21-year-old Bhumik Lakshman, who died in the stampede, wails at his son's grave at their native village in Hassan district. 'What happened to my son should not happen to anyone," he says, lying down on the ground with his head pressed against the grave. 'The land I had bought for him is where his memorial has been built." Refusing to let go, Lakshman says, 'I don't want to go anywhere else now. I want to stay here too," as two other men approach him and help him to his feet. 'No father should have to face what I am facing," he laments. Bhumik, a final-year engineering student, was among the thousands of people who had gathered outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday to celebrate and catch a glimpse of the players who had won RCB the IPL title after an 18-year wait. He was one of the 11 victims, including a 14-year-old girl, who tragically lost their lives in the stampede. A video of Lakshman mourning at his son's grave has gone viral. It has also been shared by the Karnataka BJP, which criticised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, accusing them of having 'murderous" intentions. 'Murderous CM @siddaramaiah sir, murderous DCM @DKShivakumar sir, if you had made up your mind, you could have taken a photo with your children and grandchildren in a luxurious hotel with a cup. But your insistence on taking a photo on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha has made 11 families wash their hands in tears every day. Can you give this father his son back?" the handle of the Karnataka unit of the BJP posted in Kannada on X. Earlier, after the tragedy, Lakshman had spoken to reporters and made a heartfelt appeal to the government, requesting that his son's body not be subjected to dissection during the post-mortem. 'I had only one son, and now I have lost him. Please give me his body, don't conduct a post-mortem and cut his body into pieces. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister may visit us (the victims of the tragedy), but they can't bring him back," he had said, fighting tears. Meanwhile, the Congress has repeatedly accused the BJP of politicising the issue and said the Karnataka government is doing all it can to help the families of the victims and ensure that a tragedy like this doesn't occur again. Four individuals have been arrested concerning the stampede, and five police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, have been suspended. Additionally, the Karnataka government has taken disciplinary action against CM Siddaramaiah's Political Secretary, K Govindaraj, and the state intelligence department chief, dismissing them from their positions. First Published: June 08, 2025, 07:34 IST
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
Want to stay here too: Father cries over grave of son killed in Bengaluru stampede
New updates following the Bengaluru stampede in which 11 people were killed have been making the headlines lately. And now, a video from Karnataka's Hassan district that shows a father mourning the loss of his 21-year-old son is going Lakshman, father of Bhumik Lakshman - one of the 11 victims who died in the stampede outside Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium - is seen in the video crying inconsolably and refusing to leave his son's grave. "I don't want to go anywhere else now. I want to stay here too," he sobs, lying flat on the Bhumik, a 21-year-old from Hassan, was amongst nearly 50 others injured during the crowd surge on Wednesday at an event held to felicitate IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The celebratory function, organised outside the Vidhana Soudha, turned tragic after the crowd swelled uncontrollably. Among the deceased were three teenagers and several youths aged between 20 and 35."The land I had bought for him is where his memorial has been built," Mr Lakshman says, surrounded by villagers as two men gently try to lift him to his feet. 'What happened to my son should not happen to anyone. No father should have to face what I am facing.'The video, widely shared on social media, has sparked outrage, with the Karnataka BJP accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar of ignoring basic crowd management in favour of political optics. advertisement A tweet from the party's official handle reads, "Murderous CM @siddaramaiah sir, murderous DCM @DKShivakumar sir, if you had made up your mind, you could have taken a photo with your children and grandchildren in a luxurious hotel with a cup. But your insistence on taking a photo on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha has made 11 families wash their hands in tears every day. Can you give this father his son back, sitting in front of his son's grave and crying?!"The state government has come under increasing pressure since the incident. Four people have been arrested in connection with the stampede, and five senior police officials - including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner - have been suspended. On Friday, the Karnataka government sacked CM Siddaramaiah's political secretary, K Govindaraj, and removed the chief of the state intelligence department.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"I Want To Stay Here Too": Father Holds On To Grave Of Son Killed In Stampede
Bengaluru: Out to celebrate the victory of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League, 11 people were killed and 47 were injured when a stampede broke out at the gates of the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. The statistics, however, sometimes overshadow the personal tragedies, and a video of a father crying and holding on to his son's grave has brought them sharply into focus. The video shows BT Lakshman - the father of 21-year-old Bhumik Lakshman, who died in the stampede - wailing at his son's grave at their native village in Hassan district. "What happened to my son should not happen to anyone," he says, lying down on the ground with his head pressed against the grave. "The land I had bought for him is where his memorial has been built." Refusing to let go, Mr Lakshman says, "I don't want to go anywhere else now. I want to stay here too," as two other men approach him and help him to his feet. "No father should have to face what I am facing," he laments. A final-year engineering student, Bhumik was among the thousands of people who had gathered outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday to celebrate and catch a glimpse of the players who had won the RCB the IPL title after an 18-year wait. He was among the 11 people, including a 14-year-old girl, who had died in the stampede that followed. Mr Lakshman had spoken to reporters after the tragedy and appealed to the government that his son's body be given to him without being "cut up" during a post-mortem. "I had only one son, and now I have lost him. Please give me his body, don't conduct a post-mortem and cut his body into pieces. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister may visit us (the victims of the tragedy), but they can't bring him back," he had said, fighting tears. BJP's Attack The video of Mr Lakshman at his son's grave has also been shared by the Karnataka unit of the BJP, which has accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar of being "murderous". "Murderous CM @siddaramaiah sir, murderous DCM @DKShivakumar sir, if you had made up your mind, you could have taken a photo with your children and grandchildren in a luxurious hotel with a cup. But your insistence on taking a photo on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha has made 11 families wash their hands in tears every day. Can you give this father his son back?" the handle of the Karnataka unit of the BJP posted in Kannada on X. The reference was to the felicitation of the RCB players at the Vidhana Soudha - the state legislature complex - where several key Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, were present. The Congress, however, has repeatedly accused the BJP of politicising the issue and said the Karnataka government is doing all it can to help the families of the victims and ensure that a tragedy like this doesn't occur again. The police have arrested four people in connection with the stampede and five police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, have been suspended. On Friday, the Karnataka government also sacked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Political Secretary K Govindaraj as well as the state intelligence department chief.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Family members of stampede victim blame Congress govt.
Family members of Bhoomik, 19, who died in the stampede during the celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's win in the IPL, were inconsolable. His body was brought to his native place, Kuppagodu, in Belur taluk on Thursday for the last rites. His father D.H. Lakshman runs a small firm in Bengaluru. Bhoomik was the only son to the couple, Lakshman and Ashwini. The family members said Bhoomik left home early on Wednesday. He spoke to his mother over phone last at 4 p.m, when he was travelling by metro. He informed her that he was on his way to the stadium. Later in the evening, they received a call informing them that Bhoomik was in a critical condition. He died by the time the family members reached the hospital. Mr. Lakshman was heard telling his relatives that he had earned crores of rupees for his son, but now he had gone. The relatives blamed the State government for the tragedy. They said there was no ambulance to carry the injured to hospitals, and questioned why should the government allow the event if it could not manage it well. Hassan Lok Sabha member Shreyas M. Patel met the family members and offered his condolence.
