Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday admitted that the stampede near M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed 11 lives, could have been avoided with better planning and coordination.
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday evening as lakhs of people thronged the stadium to attend the Royal Challengers Bangalore team's victory parade and felicitation after the IPL victory.
Speaking to the media, Kharge said, "Yes, there was a lapse. This could have been prevented with more effective planning and coordination. The stadium's capacity is 35,000, but nearly 2 to 3 lakh people had gathered in the surrounding area. Despite our efforts, we were unable to manage the crowd.” He added that the Chief Minister had taken responsibility for the incident and assured that corrective steps would be taken.
Kharge also criticised the BJP for attempting to politicise the tragedy. “The BJP tends to politicise every situation. When we explained that it was not feasible to organise an open bus victory parade at such short notice, they accused us of insulting the team. That post has now been deleted. This kind of political exploitation is not healthy,” he said.
Political slugfest intensifies
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, meanwhile, placed the blame squarely on the Karnataka Government, calling the incident a “complete failure” of the administration.
Speaking to ANI, Reddy stated, “Everyone knew there would be a massive crowd after RCB’s IPL final win, but there were no adequate security or traffic arrangements. This is entirely the Karnataka Government’s failure.”
Earlier in the day, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy also held Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar responsible for the incident. He cited the Deputy CM’s “impatience, immaturity, and irresponsibility” as contributing factors.
In response, DK Shivakumar expressed regret over the tragedy. “This should not have happened. We did not anticipate such a huge crowd. The stadium holds 35,000, but over 3 lakh people were present. Gates were broken… We apologise for the incident. We want to investigate the matter thoroughly and communicate the facts clearly,” he said.
Shivakumar too accused the BJP of politicising the situation. “The BJP is doing politics over this. We are deeply sorry for the incident and will work out better solutions going forward.”
Following the tragedy, the Deputy Chief Minister announced that all government events scheduled for the next day had been postponed. “Apart from the cabinet meeting, all other programmes, including World Environment Day celebrations, have been cancelled."
Police reveal what caused the stampede
Police sources identified overcrowding, conflicting announcements, and the distribution of free passes as major contributing factors to the tragedy.
Chaos unfolded when a large number of cricket fans, including many without valid entry tickets, tried to push their way into the stadium along with legitimate ticket holders. In the rush, some individuals reportedly climbed over the gates in desperation. During the stampede, several people were trampled after falling, while others were injured while attempting to scale barriers.
