A gut-wrenching story has surfaced online. It shows a father pleading with authorities to spare the autopsy of his son, one of the victims of the stampede that claimed 11 lives and injured 33 others outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“Please don’t cut his body. At least return him to me,” he urged the media at Bowring Hospital.
As fans thronged to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first IPL title in 18 years, a severe failure in crowd management, infrastructure oversight, and administrative coordination, or the lack of it turned the event into a day of mourning. The episode was a stark indictment of the city’s governance and preparedness.
President Droupadi Murmu said, “The loss of lives in the tragic happening at a stadium in Bengaluru is shocking and heartbreaking. My condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the stampede as “absolutely heartrending.”
Reacting to the tragedy, Virat Kohli wrote, “At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted,” sharing RCB’s official statement on social media.
The devastation, reportedly due to overcrowding, narrow passageways, and the collapse of a temporary slab over a drain exposed glaring gaps in how the city manages huge public gatherings.
An estimated two to three lakh people had converged near the stadium, which has a capacity of only 35,000. Despite police deployment, the force proved inadequate to control the volume and intensity of the crowd.
Police officials, speaking anonymously, admitted that the crowd had been far beyond their control. Although personnel had been deployed, it was insufficient. One officer revealed that authorities had to resort to lathi charges at certain points and pointed out that the narrow stadium gates had worsened the situation, ultimately causing the tragedy.
With fans pushing, scaling walls, and attempting to storm gates, all stadium entrances had to be closed. Videos and images showed chaotic scenes: fans screaming, shoving, and climbing over barricades while chanting “RCB, RCB.” Several among the deceased were young people, including students, who had gathered for what was meant to be a historic celebration.
As expected, the buck passed. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said the BCCI had no intimation that such a gathering had been organised, further highlighting the lack of communication and accountability that contributed to the disaster. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the gathering had been organised not by the state government but by the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
He added that the government had merely granted permission and deployed the entire Bengaluru police force for security.
He also announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for each deceased and free treatment for the injured. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and RCB will contribute an additional Rs 5 lakh per family.
He pointed out that many stampedes had occurred in the past, including more severe ones, and referenced the earlier Kumbh Mela incident where 50 to 60 people had died. While making these comparisons, he claimed he was not trying to defend the current situation. He also noted that while more than one lakh people had gathered in front of Vidhan Soudha without incident, the stadium—designed for 35,000—had seen two to three lakh attendees, which he described as entirely unexpected.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also acknowledged that the situation had been beyond what anyone had anticipated. He described the crowd as absolutely uncontrollable.
Siddaramaiah later elaborated on the sequence of events, explaining that the stadium had small gates through which people had forced their way in.
Some had even broken the gates, leading to the stampede. He said that prima facie, it appeared no one had expected such a massive crowd and that the inquiry would establish the full facts. According to him, over 1.5 lakh people had crowded at the gates, and in their attempts to enter, a stampede had ensued.
Initial reports suggest that a temporary slab over a drain collapsed under the weight of people, triggering panic and the fatal rush. The Karnataka High Court is scheduled to hear the case today.
Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty was quoted as saying, “We are taking all steps… I will get instructions and present what has been done. This is not an adversarial matter. We are as concerned as any citizen of the state to understand what went wrong. Any suggestions are welcome.”
The stampede was not just an accident; it was a preventable tragedy that exposed systemic flaws in civic planning and crisis readiness.
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