Tragedy at stadium: CM says they did not anticipate crowd surge; announces compensation of ₹10 lakh

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah meets a victim of the stampede at a hospital in Bengaluru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: pti

Expressing grief over the death of 11 persons, including young students, in the stampede outside M. Chinnaswamy on Wednesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah instituted a magisterial inquiry into the event. He also announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh to the family of the deceased and free treatment to 33 injured persons undergoing treatment in hospitals.

Terming the stampede as an “unexpected big tragedy” that should not have taken place, the Chief Minister told presspersons: “The crowd was more than expected. Against a seating capacity of about 32,000 in the stadium, two to three lakh people turned up. We had expected the crowd size to be around the seating capacity or a little more. Neither the government nor the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) expected this big crowd.”

He said that people outside the stadium broke through the barriers and tried to enter through small gates.

The Chief Minister said: “The event at the Vidhana Soudha had more than one lakh people and no tragedy took place. Tragedy happened at the stadium. We had not organised the celebrations. It was the cricket association that arranged the programme. We (government) only gave security. Every available police personnel had been deployed in the stadium.”

When asked about the urgency in holding the celebrations considering the fan turnout on the streets late on Tuesday night after RCB won, he said: “We did not call (fans). The cricket association had called (fans). They wanted to do it in front of the Vidhana Soudha, which we permitted.”

He also refuted reports that the Bengaluru police had advised the government against holding the celebrations even at the Vidhana Soudha.  

Flanked by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Home Minister G. Parameshwara, the Chief Minister lost his cool on a couple of occasions when the media probed him and sought to know if it was a lapse on part of the government or the KSCA.

After his attention was drawn towards criticisms coming from BJP leaders, he said: “I do not want to defend the tragedy and play politics... Several stampedes have taken place at different places. I cannot defend this stampede saying it happened in the Kumbh Mela where 50 to 60 people died.”

Published - June 04, 2025 11:48 pm IST