Siddaramaiah References Kumbh Mela Stampede After Bengaluru Tragedy Kills 11

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday referenced the Kumbh Mela stampede while addressing the tragic incident at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people and injured 47 during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations.

Speaking at a press conference, Siddaramaiah acknowledged that “many stampedes have occurred” but maintained he was not defending the Bengaluru incident, drawing a parallel with the earlier Kumbh Mela tragedy.

“Many stampedes have occurred. But I’m not defending….I’m saying a stampede happened in Kumbh Mela. I’m not defending this,” Siddaramaiah said during the press briefing.

The chief minister’s reference to the Kumbh Mela incident came as he addressed questions about the deadly stampede that occurred during Wednesday’s RCB celebration event.

Siddaramaiah emphasized that the stadium event was organized by the Karnataka State Cricket Association, not the state government, though police support had been provided.

“The government only gave permission and deployed the entire Bengaluru police force for security. We did not host the event in the stadium,” he clarified.

The CM distinguished between the government’s role at different venues, noting successful crowd management at one location versus the tragedy at another.

“More than one lakh people gathered in front of Vidhan Soudha, but thankfully, no untoward incident happened there. However, in the stadium, where the capacity is 35,000, around two to three lakh people turned up. This was entirely unexpected,” Siddaramaiah revealed.

The numbers highlight the massive scale of the crowd that far exceeded the stadium’s capacity, creating dangerous overcrowding conditions.

The chief minister provided an update on the casualties, confirming that of the 47 people injured, many had only minor injuries and were not admitted to hospitals.

“All the injured are out of danger,” Siddaramaiah assured, indicating that while the death toll remained at 11, those who survived the stampede were in stable condition.

According to preliminary information provided to the government, a temporary slab placed over a drain near the stadium premises collapsed under the weight of people standing on it.

The sudden structural failure caused panic among the densely packed crowd, triggering the deadly stampede that resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries.

The tragic incident occurred during the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL victory celebrations, organized by the Karnataka State Cricket Association.

The event was meant to celebrate RCB’s maiden IPL title win after 18 years, drawing an overwhelming response from cricket fans across the city.

The enthusiasm for the historic victory led to unprecedented crowd turnout that ultimately overwhelmed available safety measures and infrastructure.

Despite deploying the entire Bengaluru police force for security, authorities were unable to prevent the tragedy due to the unexpected scale of the crowd.

The incident raises questions about crowd management protocols and infrastructure adequacy for large-scale public events.