Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 4 (ANI):
The Karnataka government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the 11 people who died in the stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL 2025 celebrations on Wednesday. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, addressing a press conference, also assured free treatment for the 33 injured in the incident.
“A major tragedy occurred during the victory celebrations near Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for the deceased and will provide free treatment to the injured,” Siddaramaiah said. Expressing deep sorrow, he acknowledged, “This tragedy should not have happened. The government expresses deep sorrow over this incident.”
The Chief Minister revealed that he has ordered a magisterial inquiry, giving it 15 days to investigate. He described the chaos as partly caused by a crowd that far exceeded stadium capacity, “People even broke the gates of the stadium. The stadium capacity is 35,000 but 2-3 lakh people had gathered.”
Thousands of fans had assembled outside the stadium eager to catch a glimpse of their champion team. An RCB supporter told ANI that the crowd was overwhelming, with people unable to enter or leave, leading to injuries.
RCB ended their 18-year wait for the IPL trophy by defeating Punjab Kings by six wickets in the finals held on Tuesday at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the tragedy, calling the incident “absolutely heartrending” and extending his condolences on X. He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed sorrow and called for immediate strengthening of safety protocols to prevent future tragedies. “The joy of victory should never come at the cost of lives,” he said.
Opposition parties, including the Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP, slammed the Congress-led Karnataka government for mismanagement. JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy criticized the government’s “zero preparedness” and called the incident a “complete collapse of basic administration,” demanding accountability.
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy echoed these concerns, attributing the tragedy to “lack of proper planning and failure to take precautionary measures,” and called on the state government to take full responsibility.
BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla demanded resignations of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and the Home Minister, accusing them of direct responsibility and insensitive response, as celebrations reportedly continued despite the fatalities.
The tragic stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations has cast a pall over the team’s historic IPL win, bringing urgent focus on crowd management and public safety at large-scale events. (ANI)
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