Bengaluru: The tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives and left over 50 injured during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory march has triggered a political firestorm, with BJP leader and Member of Parliament Sambit Patra levelling serious allegations against the Congress-led Karnataka government.

Speaking to reporters, Patra questioned whether the stampede was a tragic accident or a "government-manufactured" disaster. “I say it was a government-manufactured stampede. The Chief Minister went on to say that such stampedes keep happening and are normal. He is trying to normalise the loss of 11 innocent lives,” he stated.

Patra sharply criticised both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, holding them responsible for what he described as a hastily organised and poorly planned event. “Just because D.K Shivakumar and Siddaramaih wanted photos, the entire event was organized and within 12 hours, you enforced a victory march, the result was 11 deaths and over 50 people seriously injured,” he alleged.

The BJP leader also pointed to a viral video that emerged from the event, showing Deputy CM Shivakumar pushing aside a person by the neck when the individual came between him and the camera. “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”, Patra questioned.

Highlighting discrepancies in crowd management, Patra cited Deputy CM Shivakumar’s own admission that the Chinnaswamy Stadium’s capacity is 35,000, while over 3 lakh people gathered for the event. “The police did not give permission for this victory march, so why was it carried out? Who decided to go ahead with it?... Why was there no coordination between the police and the organisers?” he questioned.

Patra also compared the current situation with the case of South Indian actor Allu Arjun, who was arrested after a stampede occurred at a film screening event. “If Allu Arjun was arrested by the Karnataka government in that case, then on the same basis, I want to ask: Will D.K Shivakumar and Siddaramaih be arrested?” he asked.

Government responds

Deputy CM Shivakumar, while expressing regret, offered an apology for the incident. “This should not have happened and we never expected such a big crowd...The stadium's capacity is 35,000, but more than 3 lakh people were there...Gates (of the stadium) have been broken...We apologise for this incident,” he told ANI.

Shivakumar also defended the police, saying they managed a difficult situation with remarkable efficiency. “ 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,” he said.

Meanwhile, IPL Chairman and BCCI official Arun Dhumal said the cricketing body was unaware of any such celebration being planned. “We had no information that such an event was being planned... If such events are planned in the future, then proper arrangements should be made,” he said, while extending condolences to the victims’ families.

Bengaluru stampede:

The stampede occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, as thousands of enthusiastic RCB fans thronged the venue to celebrate the team’s historic IPL 2025 victory. The volume of the crowd overwhelmed security and crowd control measures, triggering chaos.

The Karnataka government has announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the families of the deceased and free medical treatment for the injured. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a magisterial inquiry into the tragedy with a 15-day deadline for the report.

The stampede followed RCB’s long-awaited triumph in the IPL 2025 final, where they defeated Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This marked the franchise’s first IPL title win in 18 years, leading to widespread celebrations across Bengaluru and Karnataka.

However, the joy quickly turned into tragedy due to apparent lapses in planning and crowd control, an issue now engulfed in political controversy.