Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah says '50-60 died in Kumbh Mela but I didn’t criticise' amid backlash

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday addressed the recent stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations, stressing that while such tragic incidents have occurred in many places—including the Kumbh Mela where 50-60 people died—he himself has not criticised those events. He added that if the Congress party chooses to criticise, that is a separate matter, but neither he nor his government have passed judgment on past tragedies.

Addressing the incident, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah refrained from defending the tragedy by making comparisons but referenced similar disasters like the Kumbh Mela stampede, where 50-60 people died. “Such incidents happened in many places; I am not going to defend it by comparing them and saying that it happened here and there... 50-60 people died in Kumbh Mela. I did not criticise. If Congress criticises, then that is a different matter. Did I or the Karnataka government criticise?,” he said.

Bengaluru witnessed a tragic stampede during the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) IPL victory celebrations outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, leaving 11 people dead and 33 injured. The incident occurred as lakhs of enthusiastic fans gathered, far exceeding the stadium’s official capacity of 35,000.


Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who visited hospitals treating the injured, described the chaos that led to the stampede. “They have broken the gates. I think a lot of stampede has happened. I have spoken to the police commissioner and officials... the exact number of deaths is still not known. We are at it, we appeal to everyone to be calm,” Shivakumar told reporters.

Shivakumar explained that despite heavy security deployment and efforts to control the crowd, the sheer number of attendees overwhelmed the arrangements. “There was a huge crowd. We saw it from the airport itself. So we decided to cancel the procession and brought them [the team] in a closed vehicle. There was a request for a procession at least from Vidhana Soudha. As there was rain, the crowd got uncontrolled, so we cancelled that procession too. Here [at the stadium] too there were arrangements, for a procession — an hour-long programme. We instructed to conclude it in 10-15 minutes and, accordingly, it was done,” he added.

The Karnataka government has ordered a magisterial inquiry to be completed within 15 days, with officials emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation to prevent such tragedies in future celebrations.

This incident draws painful echoes of large-scale crowd disasters during religious events like the Kumbh Mela, underscoring challenges in managing massive gatherings in India. The state government expressed condolences and reiterated its commitment to support the victims and their families during this difficult time.