 "Siddaramaiah, Karnataka CM")
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday addressed the stampede at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where 11 people were killed and nearly 50 were injured during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL victory celebrations.
Speaking at a press conference, Siddaramaiah acknowledged the severity of the tragedy but cautioned against comparisons. “Many stampedes have occurred,” he said. “Even worse ones have happened. Using that I am not defending... it happened... in Kumbh Mela also... in Kumbh Mela about 50–60 people died,” he added, referencing the incident at this year’s Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, where 30 people were killed and 60 injured.
State not organiser, says Siddaramaiah
Clarifying the state government’s role, Siddaramaiah said the event was organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association, not the government. “The government only gave permission and deployed the entire Bengaluru police force for security. We did not host the event in the stadium,” he said.
He highlighted that “more than one lakh people gathered in front of Vidhana Soudha, but thankfully, no untoward incident happened there. However, in the stadium, where the capacity is 35,000, around 200,000 to 300,000 people turned up. This was entirely unexpected."
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Providing an update on the injured, Siddaramaiah confirmed that 47 people sustained injuries, most of them minor, and none were in critical condition. “All the injured are out of danger,” he added.
A full inquiry into the incident has been initiated. Preliminary reports suggest the tragedy began when a temporary slab placed over a drain near the stadium collapsed under the weight of fans standing on it. The sudden collapse caused panic and led to the fatal stampede.
Massive crowd overwhelmed arrangements at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
Fans had gathered in massive numbers to celebrate RCB’s first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title win. Police estimates suggest that between 200,000 and 300,000 people gathered in and around the stadium, despite its 35,000-seat capacity.
What was meant to be a jubilant public celebration turned chaotic due to inadequate access control and poor communication by organisers.
“There are small gates. People entered forcibly and even broke some. Nobody expected this scale of crowd. Prima facie, it looks like a coordination failure,” Siddaramaiah said.
(With agency inputs)
