Bengaluru Stampede Tragedy: Sea of Fans, Overwhelmed Police, and a City in Chaos

Bengaluru Stampede Tragedy: A scattered pile of shoes, sandals, and bits of what seemed to be sportswear marked the aftermath of a tragic stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which claimed the lives of 11 people and left 33 others injured.

This incident happened after an unexpected surge of 2–3 lakh people gathered outside the stadium to celebrate RCB’s historic first-ever IPL title victory. The crowd far exceeded the available space and security arrangements, overwhelming a venue that could accommodate only 35,000.

Moments later, her grandmother, Kavitha Gowda, was inconsolable while waiting at the mortuary of the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital to collect her granddaughter’s body.

“I lost my granddaughter (Divyamshika) in the stampede,” she said, struggling to fight her tears.

Gowda said her granddaughter was a fan of Virat Kohli and wanted to see him. “So, we decided to take her to the stadium. We had no idea that there would be so many people. As the team bus entered the stadium, people behind us started pushing with force, and my granddaughter fell. People did not stop even when we told them that she had fallen,” Gowda recalled.

With the help of a few policemen, they found her in an unconscious state, and the police rushed her to the hospital. “She died at the hospital,” Gowda said, adding in retrospect it was her mistake to accept her grandkid’s “last” demand.

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“11 died and 33 were injured in the stampede. This tragedy should not have happened. The government expresses deep sorrow over this incident,” the chief minister said as he informed that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the matter.

Siddaramaiah further revealed that a huge crowd had turned up for the celebration, which was far beyond their expectations.

"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," CM Siddaramaiah said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the stampede in Bengaluru as "absolutely heartrending". In a post on X, he said, " The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery."

President Droupadi Murmu also expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in a stampede and called the incident 'shocking and heartbreaking'.

In a social media post on X, Droupadi Murmu wrote, "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."

Among the victims was a 36-year-old software engineer from Mandya district, Poorna Chandra, a long-time RCB supporter, who had been celebrating since last night.

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“When the news came that the team was coming to the stadium, he decided to be part of the celebration. In the afternoon, he went to the stadium. Later, we were told that he died due to the stampede at Gate Number 5,” Chandra’s relative Gangadhara, who had come to the mortuary to collect his body, said, adding Chandra left behind two children in Classes 3 and 5, he added.

Many people who went to the celebration said police failed to control the swelling crowd pressing towards the gates. Though police told the crowd that the stadium was full and advised those at the gates to return home and watch the celebrations on television.

“I could hear policemen saying that the stadium is full and they should return. We wanted to go back, but others did not allow us to leave,” an eyewitness, who did not identify himself, said.

People were not willing to listen.

At Gate Number 6, Venkata Swamy, a restro bar manager who took leave to be at the stadium, said the frenzied crowd chanting “RCB RCB” had climbed trees and tried to enter the stadium by jumping over the walls and the gate.

“There was total madness. No control or discipline. The police resorted to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, but it was in vain. People pushed down the barricades installed to control the crowd while trying to enter the stadium,” Swamy said.

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