Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah extended condolences to the families of 11 people who died in a stampede during the RCB victory celebrations in Bengaluru on Wednesday. He stated that the shocking tragedy erased the joy of the long-awaited victory.
CM Siddaramaiah said, "I don't want to defend this incident. Our government will not do politics on this. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry and given 15 days' time. People even broke the gates of the stadium. There was a stampede. No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people came..."
The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those who were killed in the stampede, and free treatment for the injured.
"A major tragedy occurred during the victory celebrations. It happened near the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased. The government will provide free treatment to the injured,” he said.
He also added, "I am deeply shocked to hear the news of the stampede during the RCB team's victory celebrations at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, in which many people lost their lives and some were seriously injured. The pain of this tragedy has also erased the joy of victory.”
He further said, "May the souls of the deceased rest in peace, and those injured and undergoing treatment in the hospital, recover as soon as possible. My condolences to the grieving families of those who lost their loved ones," he said, amid criticism by the opposition BJP for not doing enough to manage huge crowds safely.
At least 11 persons died and 33 others were injured after a chaos broke out near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, after a large number of people gathered to participate in the RCB victory celebrations.
The injured have been hospitalised at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Shivajinagar and Vydehi Super Speciality Hospital.
Police used mild force to control the crowd and bring the situation under control ahead of a special felicitation at the stadium for the RCB team organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
According to eye-witnesses, fans thronged the venue of felicitation and visuals showed police shifting the injured persons and those who fell unconscious in ambulances to nearby hospitals. Visuals also showed some of those who were in an unconscious state being administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by those nearby.
