'RCB Victory Celebrations Continued As People Were Dying': Sambit Patra On Bengaluru Stampede

Chinnaswamy Stadium Stampede: A stampede near Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB victory celebrations resulted in 11 deaths and 33 injuries, sparking political controversy.

BJP MP Sambit Patra criticised the state government for alleged mismanagement and questioned why the event proceeded without police permission.

Source : PTI

The stampede near Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) victory celebrations has triggered a political storm with BJP MP Sambit Patra criticising the state government’s handling of the event. Eleven people lost their lives and 33 others sustained injuries after an overwhelming crowd gathered for the felicitation ceremony.

'Why Was It Carried Out Despite Lack Of Police Permission': BJP MP

Addressing reporters on Wednesday, Patra raised serious concerns about the circumstances that led to the tragedy. He questioned why the felicitation programme continued despite warnings and reports of crowd mismanagement.

“Was it just an accident or a manufactured stampede? I say it was a government-manufactured stampede.” he said. "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... This happened because of the issues between the CM and the DCM... The DCM said that the capacity of the Chinnaswamy Stadium is 35000, but 3 lakh people were present in the victory march. Why did that happen?" he asked. 

The BJP leader also pointed out that police reportedly denied permission for the event, yet the celebration proceeded. "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?... The worst part is, the felicitations continued while people were dying," he said. 

Bengaluru Stampede: Karnataka CM Order Magisterial Inquiry 

In response to the incident, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed deep sorrow and announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased. He confirmed that both the state government and the cricket association had organised separate programmes, contributing to the large crowds.

“A massive tragedy occurred at the stadium. We have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident, and strict action will follow if negligence is established,” the CM assured.