Follow Us;Resize=(820,462) "Police lathi charge RCB fans as stampede breaks out in Chinnswamy stadium")
While RCB’s maiden title after 18 years was undoubtedly special, it was not the first time an IPL team held a victory celebration in a major city. Should Karnataka government be held responsible for the stampede at Chinnaswamy stadium.
Bengaluru: In the aftermath of the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede during RCB's victory celebration, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not hesitate to draw parallels with the Kumbh tragedy earlier this year. "Such incidents happened in so many places. I am not going to defend this by comparing it with them now by saying it happened here and there. In Kumbh Mela, 50-60 people died, I didn't criticise it. If Congress criticises, then that is a different matter," he said. The comparison lays bare a troubling hypocrisy at the heart of political crisis management.
The deadly stampede occurred at a high-profile, state-facilitated event with huge crowds anticipated and ample time to prepare. RCB had won the title for the first time in 18 years, and was not an annual religious event like Kumbh. The onus for any tragedy falls on the state government, irrespective of the demography. In Bengaluru, it was a first-of-its-kind celebration in the heart of a modern metro city, known for its traffic woes and passionate fans. Like Siddarth KM, a journalist, wrote on X, “Politicians who do not politicise life-costing errors of their opponents want the same privilege to be extended to them when they err."
Karnataka govt panicked?
As soon as the news of the stampede started to trickle in, confusion prevailed. Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Arun Dhumal said that the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) was not aware that Karnataka government had allowed the celebrations at Chinnaswamy stadium. “If such events are planned in the future, then proper arrangements should be made... Those who were sitting inside the stadium had no information about the incident,” he was quoted as saying to ANI.
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However, several other versions unravelled in the next few hours. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that they informed RCB to wrap the celebration in lesser time. A RCB statement confirmed that the team knew of the stampede. “Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our program, and followed the guidance and advice of the local administration,” the statement read. There were also reports of misinformation over ticket sales, that led to large number of people at the stadium.
Karnataka government, seemingly accepting responsibility for the tragedy, said that the programme was decided in a haste as foreign players in RCB had to leave. Did the government prioritise the time of players over the safety of citizens is a question that has to be answered by the Karnataka government. Meanwhile, the BJP squarely blamed the Congress-led state government for ‘criminal negligence’. Tejasvi Surya, Bengaluru South MP, questioned Karnataka government's need to hog the limelight.
“While the state government and leadership were busy hogging their undeserving share of limelight in RCB's victory with the CM himself making an open invitation for the celebration, no arrangements were made on the ground. Despite being aware of the situation from last night, the government failed to plan this out and took bizarre last minute decisions,” he added. DK Shivakumar had welcomed the team in Bengaluru, giving Virat Kohli the Karnataka flag and posting pictures of it on social media.
RCB not the first team to do it
While RCB’s maiden IPL title after 18 years was undoubtedly special, it was not the first time an IPL team held a victory celebration in a major city. From CSK’s open-top bus parades in Chennai to KKR’s victory rallies in Kolkata, franchises have regularly celebrated title wins with fans — often in coordination with local governments and police. Chennai Super Kings has held open-top bus parades and public rallies, Mumbai Indians has had felicitations at Wankhede Stadium, Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi stadium, Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. However, no team has ever conducted such a big parade just a day after the title win. According to reports, Karnataka Police had advised the team to hold the victory parade on June 8 (Sunday), but the government eventually listened to the team as the players had to leave soon.
Several first-hand accounts have revealed how the fans were punished. Sinchana N, 25, who was caught in the stampede, told reporters that the police were not controlling the crowd, but were just pushing people. “I avoided the worst because I arrived late," she added. As ambulances struggled to move through the dense crowd, police had to resort to lathi charge as well.
BJP draws parallel with Allu Arjun case
BJP MP Sambit Patra drew parallels with the Allu Arjun case, in which the actor was arrested over a stampede during the screening of Pushpa 2 in Telangana. "There was a video in which DK Shivakumar can be seen pushing a person aside from the neck, after the person came between him and the camera... The importance was not crowd management, the importance was his PR stunt. Will DK Shivakumar apologise and resign? Who authorised this entire event?... Who authorised the event to continue despite the deaths... This is a failure of the state government, and they have to own it... The biggest question is, where is Rahul Gandhi?... Where is he hiding? Will he question Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar and ask them to resign?..." he added.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had asked the state government to review and strengthen safety protocols to prevent the recurrence of a tragedy. The Karnataka government, in damage control mode, has announced new SOPs for for large-scale meetings, ceremonies and victory ceremonies. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident as well. The matter has reached the Karnataka High Court, which has sought a report from the state government.
