RCB victory celebration: Politics erupts as stampede claims 11 lives, questions raised over arrangements (WATCH)

At least 11 people died in a stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations in Bengaluru. Political blame game erupted as BJP slammed the Congress government for mismanagement, while officials admitted crowd control failures and cancelled the parade.

What was meant to be a historic celebration for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL title ended in tragedy, and political controversy, on Wednesday evening, as a stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium killed at least 11 people and injured more than 50.

Uncontrollable crowds, lapses in management

The disaster, sparked by massive crowds surging through just two open gates, has triggered a political blame game in Karnataka. The BJP squarely blamed the Congress-led state government for ‘criminal negligence’, while government officials admitted serious lapses in handling the event.

Nasser Ahmed, political secretary to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, reportedly admitted to reporters that the crowd was "uncontrollable" and the administration did not have time to make adequate arrangements.

Tragedy ‘could have been avoided’

Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra said the tragedy ‘could have been avoided’ if proper planning had been done. “It reflects the government's incompetence in managing even celebratory events. This is a heartbreaking failure of duty,” he said. 

Vijayendra added, “The state government should take full responsibility for this tragedy. When the whole country and Karnataka were celebrating RCB's victory, the state government's haste to hold a victory rally without any prior preparations led to this tragedy. The state government never cared about prior preparations. They were more interested in publicity. This resulted in the death of more than 11 people. Some people are in ICU. I spoke to some victims, there was no police inside, no ambulance facility. The CM should send the matter for judicial investigation.”

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya also demanded accountability, urging citizens to "celebrate with responsibility" but also questioning the lack of preparedness.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who had earlier apologised for the chaos, confirmed that the victory parade has been cancelled due to the crowd surge. “We had to prioritise safety,” he said, without directly commenting on the stampede.

On BJP's allegations on the stampede-like situation, Shivakumar said, " They are there to allege and we are there to protect...yes, I am going to the hospital..."

CM Siddaramaiah was scheduled to felicitate RCB players

The RCB players were scheduled to be felicitated by CM Siddaramaiah at the venue. Thousands of fans had gathered at the stadium by 5 PM, with reports suggesting over 10,000 supporters attempting to enter via Gate 13 and Gate 14 alone. As crowd pressure mounted, many pushed through the gates, triggering the stampede. One victim reportedly died of a heart attack, while others were trampled as they were being rushed to hospitals.

Among the dead was a child. At least 12 of the injured remain in critical condition at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital.

Citizens, netizens and civil society groups have demanded a judicial inquiry and reforms in public event planning, especially for high-profile occasions with massive crowds.

As mourning families seek answers, the tragedy has spiralled into a major political issue in Karnataka, with questions being raised about responsibility, planning, and accountability.