Desperate Fans, Uncontrollable Crowd, Lathi Charge: What Led To Bengaluru Stampede
11 people died and 33 were injured following the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said as he announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of those deceased.
An uncontrollable crowd, unprepared officials, and a lathi-charge — these factors turned what was meant to be a historic celebration in Karnataka into a tragic stampede in Bengaluru.
"I don't know what we did wrong...we had tickets," an exasperated RCB supporter wondered outside the Chinnaswamy stadium.
The fan had come to attend the IPL victory celebrations, which turned into a day of mourning after 11 fans were killed in a mad scramble in Bengaluru.
What Led To The Chaos?
11 people died and 33 were injured following the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said as he announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of those deceased.
ALSO READ | 'What Was Meant To Be Day Of Celebration...': IPL Chairman Dhumal Reacts To Bengaluru Stampede
Siddaramaiah said that while the capacity of the stadium was 35,000 people, 2-3 lakh people turned up, leading to the tragic incident.
The RCB won their maiden title after 18 seasons with a six-run victory over Punjab Kings in the IPL final at Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
#WATCH | Bengaluru, Karnataka: Visuals from outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the slippers and shoes are scattered. A stampede occurred here, claiming the lives of 11 people and injuring 33 people. pic.twitter.com/5DBhW9IFli
— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2025
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, while noting that 33 people have been hospitalised, saying that fans were desperate to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers.
"When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude...safety and security measures need to be taken," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.
How Crowd Swelled Outside Chinnaswamy Stadium?
Though there were no arrangements made to handle the heavy crowd, desperate fans reached to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars, including Virat Kohli.
The tickets for the hastily-arranged engagement programme were sold in a jiffy, but the fans crowded all the gates 12, 13 (main gates) and 10 (club house entrance) with not enough security to control them.
#WATCH | Bengaluru stampede | Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah says, "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… pic.twitter.com/ZtPIqMthS3
— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2025
The number swelled to unexpected levels around 3.30 pm and it forced the police and stadium security officials to close all the gates to prevent the ticket-less from squeezing in along with the ones who had valid tickets.
ALSO READ | 'Pain Of This Tragedy Erased Joy Of Victory': Siddaramaiah On Chinnaswamy Stadium Stampede
"We came to watch our stars. I bought tickets for the function but was not even able to enter the stadium. Police suddenly blocked all the roads and closed all the entrances to the venue, and suddenly they started lathi-charging near the main gate," said Prashant Shetty, a post-graduate student who came along with a few of his friends.
"I don't know what we did wrong. We were invited for the function, bought tickets but in the end got beaten up and abused. Terrible day for fans like us," he added.
The situation turned worse at around 4.30 pm when many more came from the nearby Cubbon Park metro station, worsening the situation and the police had to resort to mild use of force to disperse the huge gathering.
At Gate No. 10, the situation was grimmer as women and children were shoved around forcefully, and even this reporter was pushed to a corner by a police official with a lathi who also hurled some swear words in local dialect.
Several ticket-holders had no choice but to make a retreat from the venue albeit thankful that they escaped unscathed from what became a stampede.
Even from a distance, it was disturbing to see women fainting and some others getting crushed under the feet of jostling fans. The fan engagement function lasted close to an hour and the team went back to the hotel around 6.30 pm but the fans still remained near the stadium creating further traffic block and chaos, before slowly moving away after a tragic day.
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