Siddaramaiah blames 'mass hysteria' for Bengaluru stampede at RCB parade

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah blamed 'mass hysteria' for the Bengaluru stampede, recalling 20 stampedes in BJP-ruled states, while BJP said he and Dy CM Shivakumar must take blame

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while speaking in the Assembly on Friday, said the tragic stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium was caused by “mass hysteria”. The June 4 incident, which occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory celebrations, left 11 people dead and many others injured.

 

Siddaramaiah listed 20 past stampedes in BJP-ruled states to make his point, beginning with the 2008 Naina Devi temple tragedy in Himachal Pradesh, which killed 162 people. He also cited the 2008 Jodhpur stampede that claimed 250 lives, the 2013 Ratangarh temple incident, the 2021 Haridwar stampede, the 2023 Sehore tragedy in Madhya Pradesh, and the 2024 Hathras stampede in Uttar Pradesh that killed 121 people.

 

He reminded the House of the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela stampede in January this year, which left 39 dead, and the 2022 Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat that killed 135 people.

 

“In my 42 years of political life, never such an incident took place. I had never seen 11 people dying in a stampede. I am pained. I expressed my sorrow the same day,” Siddaramaiah said.

 

The CM explained that fans viewed RCB’s victory as Bengaluru’s pride. “People perceived RCB’s victory as Bengaluru’s pride, which is mass hysteria,” he said.

 

Defending his decision to attend the victory parade, he added, “We sometimes have to bow to the people’s expectations in democracy. That’s the sign of democracy.”

 

Siddaramaiah also questioned the BJP’s criticism. “Did you call then CM Bommai an abettor when 36 people died due to lack of oxygen in Chamarajnagar during Covid-19? Did Yogi Adityanath resign as UP CM after the Kumbh Mela stampede in Prayagraj, in which 39 people were killed?”     

 

BJP holds Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar responsible

 

BJP Karnataka President Vijayendra Yediyurappa held Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar accountable for the tragedy. He said the decision to hold the event outside Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium was taken by the state government, despite police requests for more preparation time.

 

“Today the government has taken action against police officers… But the issue is with the incident where 11 innocent people died. The decision was taken by the state government, not the police department. It was the decision of CM Siddaramaiah to organise the felicitation programme. The police department had requested more time. It is CM Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar who have to take responsibility,” Yediyurappa said.

 

How the RCB victory parade turned deadly

 

On June 4, an estimated 300,000 fans thronged central Bengaluru to celebrate RCB’s first IPL trophy win in 18 years. The massive turnout was fuelled by free-entry posts on social media and a video appeal by Virat Kohli.

 

Crowds began gathering outside Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium hours before the parade. The event went ahead despite police denying permission, as required under a 2009 city order. Overcrowding spiralled into chaos, leading to a deadly stampede that killed 11 and injured several others.     

 

Chinnaswamy Stadium declared ‘unsafe’

 

A judicial probe led by Justice John Michael D’Cunha has declared Chinnaswamy Stadium “unsuitable and unsafe” for mass gatherings. The report, accepted by the Karnataka Cabinet, highlighted major shortcomings in crowd management facilities, including:

 

• Lack of separate queuing zones away from main roads  • Inadequate entry and exit points

• Poor integration with public transport

• Absence of emergency evacuation plans

• Insufficient parking and drop-off zones

 

The report warned that unless these gaps are addressed, hosting large-scale events at the stadium would pose “unacceptable risks to public safety”.

 

Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede: Who faces action?

 

The D’Cunha Commission has recommended legal action against KSCA President Raghuram Bhat, former officials A Shankar and ES Jairam, RCB Vice-President Rajesh Menon, and DNA Entertainment executives T Venkat Vardhan and Sunil Mathur.

 

Several senior police officers, including B Dayananda and Vikash Kumar, were removed from their posts following the tragedy.

 

(With agency inputs)