‘Don’t Cut My Son’s Body’: Father’s Heart-Wrenching Plea After Bengaluru Stampede
A day after a celebratory event for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic IPL win turned into a scene of horror, heart-wrenching stories of loss have emerged. Among them is the devastating plea of a father who, while identifying his son’s body, begged authorities not to perform a postmortem. Eleven people, including several students, were killed in the deadly stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
“At least give me his body. Don’t do a postmortem. Don’t cut his body into pieces. I had only one son, and now I have lost him,” the visibly shattered father pleaded with officials and the media on Thursday morning. His son, identified as Bhumik, a BE student and an ardent RCB fan, was one of the 11 victims who died in the crush of fans.
“He came here without informing me… I have raised him for 22 years, and now, I see him die on the streets thanks to your attitude,” the father said, his grief and anger palpable. “Now the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister may visit, but no one can bring him back.”
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday evening when a massive, unmanageable crowd gathered for RCB’s victory celebration. The event, planned after the team’s first-ever IPL triumph, drew far more people than the organizers anticipated. Eyewitnesses reported that chaos erupted at the stadium’s narrow entry points as fans desperately pushed to get inside, leading to a fatal stampede.
Initial investigations and reports point to a combination of factors leading to the disaster: overcrowding, inadequate crowd control measures, and allegedly conflicting communications regarding the event’s entry rules. By late evening, the full scale of the tragedy was clear, with 11 fatalities confirmed and dozens more injured and rushed to nearby hospitals.
The Karnataka government has responded to the tragedy with promises of action and support. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the lapses that led to the stampede and announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for the families of each of the deceased. “The government will take care of the treatment of all the injured,” he added, expressing his deep sorrow over the incident.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also apologized for the tragic turn of events. “This was a young and vibrant crowd. You can’t control them with lathis,” he said, acknowledging the difficulty in managing such an enthusiastic gathering.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of the victims. “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,” he posted on social media.
Bengaluru Police have filed 11 FIRs for unnatural death, and the probe is intensifying to pinpoint accountability. Authorities confirmed that autopsies of all deceased victims were completed by Thursday morning before their bodies were handed over to their respective families.
