Stampede at Bengaluru RCB celebration kills 7, injures 16; BJP’s Amit Malviya blames state govt

A celebration event organised by the Karnataka State Government to honour Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL campaign turned into tragedy on Wednesday, as a stampede broke out, leaving seven people dead and 16 others injured, several of them critically, said Amit Malviya in a post on X.

The mishap reportedly occurred due to overcrowding and poor crowd management at the government-organised gathering, which drew thousands of RCB fans. Visuals from the scene showed chaos and panic as emergency services struggled to reach those injured.

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya criticised the state government for the incident, blaming it on what he called a “lack of basic administrative foresight.”



“Tragic stampede in Bengaluru. A celebration has turned into a nightmare,” Malviya said in a post on X.

“This heartbreaking incident could have been avoided. The lack of basic administrative foresight and failure in crowd control by the state government has led to an irreparable loss.”

“Accountability must be fixed. Lives were lost due to negligence, not chance.”

Karnataka Dy CM on Bengaluru stampede

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar acknowledged the overwhelming turnout at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebration and expressed regret over the chaos that unfolded. “We are very proud of RCB and Karnataka. Eighteen years, a long struggle. Kohli’s loyalty has paid royalty,” he said, highlighting the emotional significance of the team’s maiden IPL title. Addressing the crowd-related issues, he added, “I think this is not a controllable crowd. I apologise to all the people of Bengaluru and Karnataka—we wanted to take a procession, but the crowd is uncontrollable.”

Bengaluru stampede

Several cricket fans were reportedly injured, with some falling unconscious near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, as crowds gathered for a special felicitation event celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL title win.

Organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the event drew a large number of supporters. Visuals from the scene showed police personnel assisting the injured and unconscious individuals, who were taken to a nearby hospital.

However, there was no immediate official confirmation on the number of casualties or the extent of injuries.