Key Points

A tragic stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebration claimed 11 lives and injured 30 people. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy directly blamed the Karnataka government for complete administrative failure and lack of crowd management. Opposition leaders, including HD Kumaraswamy, sharply criticized Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for alleged recklessness and self-promotion. The state government has announced compensation and free treatment for victims while investigations continue.

Key Points: Bengaluru Stampede G Kishan Reddy Blasts Karnataka Govt

  • Union Minister demands accountability for Bengaluru stampede
  • 11 dead and 30 injured during RCB celebration chaos
  • DK Shivakumar criticized for event mismanagement
  • Government announces compensation for victims
4 min read

This is due to complete failure of Karnataka Government: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Bengaluru stampede

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy condemns Karnataka government's handling of RCB victory celebrations, citing massive security and management failures

"This is due to the complete failure of the Karnataka Government - G Kishan Reddy"

New Delhi, June 5

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Thursday directly blamed the Karnataka Government for the stampede that broke out outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) win in the IPL final and claimed the lives of 11 and injured 30 others. The Minister called it a 'complete failure' of the state government.

While speaking to ANI, Reddy said, "This is due to the complete failure of the Karnataka Government. Everyone knew that there would be a huge crowd today (after RCB's win in the final), but no proper security arrangement or traffic management was done..."

Earlier in the day, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy accused Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar of being responsible for the stampede.

Kumaraswamy alleged that the incident was caused by the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister's "impatience, immaturity, and irresponsibility."

Addressing a late-night press conference at his official residence in New Delhi, the Union Minister demanded that "the person responsible for this tragedy must be immediately sacked from the cabinet."

He criticised the Congress government in Karnataka as being run by "arrogant fools" and said, "We have a Chief Minister who is completely inactive. He has no control over the Deputy CM. As for the State Home Minister, there's no point in discussing it. He merely obeys commands."

Referring to the government's felicitation event near Vidhana Soudha, Kumaraswamy said, "While four people lay dead in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, DK Shivakumar continued with the felicitation ceremony as if nothing had happened. How else do you describe such a government other than calling it an arrogant one?"

Kumaraswamy expressed dismay over the state's haste in organising a felicitation and said, "On Tuesday night, the team won the IPL trophy. What was the rush to organise a felicitation event immediately? Who invited the team? Why this urgency? Everyone knows the role the Deputy CM played in all this," he stated.

"Who rushed to the airport on Wednesday morning to receive the team? Who turned it into an event? It was just the Deputy CM and his entourage. Was this the DK Shivakumar RCB team?" Kumaraswamy questioned sarcastically.

"Why hold two separate events? One program, well-organised with proper preparation, would have been enough. There should have been appropriate security and caution. Instead, everything was rushed simply to glorify himself. As a result of this recklessness, sports fans lost their lives," he said.

Kumaraswamy criticised the DCM's conduct at the stadium and said, "After his show at Vidhana Soudha, the Deputy CM reached the stadium. Right outside the stadium lay the bodies of the deceased. Rather than stopping the event, he walked onto the ground, lifted the trophy, and kissed it. Did he play the match and win the cup himself? Perhaps even the players didn't get the opportunity to touch the trophy. In the midst of deaths, he used RCB's win for his own PR and self-glorification."

"This kind of recklessness cannot be tolerated. If the Chief Minister truly has any strength, courage, or leadership, he should start by removing such a person from his cabinet," the Union Minister demanded.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar complimented the state police force for controlling the massive influx of people during the RCB celebrations.

"Again, I'm telling on record. I should compliment my Police officers...morning also, they wanted to have a procession, they wanted to bring a vehicle from the airport itself...Police guided us not to...that's why I rushed to the airport and ensured nothing went wrong...in Vidhana Soudha, also we were very cautious...," DK Shivakumar said.

"We never expected such an incident to happen. No political party or official wanted this. They did their best, but there was an uncontrollable crowd," he added.

The Karnataka DyCM also announced the postponement of all programs except the cabinet meeting on June 5.

After the incident, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed a press conference and said 11 people died and 33 were injured in the stampede.

CM Siddaramaiah said that the government will also provide free treatment to 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 added.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K.
This is heartbreaking 💔. When will our politicians learn that public safety comes before photo-ops? The stadium area is always crowded during matches - basic crowd control measures should have been in place. Both state and central leaders should stop blaming each other and focus on helping victims' families.
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Priya M.
As a Bengaluru resident, I'm furious! The police knew about the celebration plans days in advance. Why weren't barricades set up properly? The Deputy CM's behavior with the trophy while people were dying nearby shows shocking insensitivity. This isn't about politics - it's about basic humanity.
A
Arjun S.
While the state government definitely failed in crowd management, the central ministers should show some restraint. Using a tragedy for political point-scoring when bodies haven't even cooled is disgusting. ₹10 lakh compensation won't bring back lives - we need better safety protocols for public events across India.
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Shalini R.
The real issue is our crumbling urban infrastructure. Bengaluru roads can't handle normal traffic, forget IPL celebrations! Instead of blaming games, we need scientific crowd management like other cricket nations. Look how Australia manages MCG crowds - we must learn from them.
V
Vikram J.
Why two separate events? This shows complete lack of coordination. The government should have worked with RCB management for a single, well-planned celebration. Our politicians treat everything as PR opportunity rather than public service. Feel so bad for the families who lost loved ones in what should have been a happy occasion 😢
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Neha P.
As an RCB fan who was there, the crowd went crazy when they saw the team bus. Police were completely overwhelmed. The government should have anticipated this - after 16 years of waiting, everyone wanted to celebrate! But no proper barricades, no crowd control...just chaos. This was preventable.

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