Bengaluru Stampede: BJP Says ‘Criminal Negligence’, Congress Asks Siddaramaiah To Check Safety Protocols

Last Updated:June 04, 2025, 21:15 IST

The BJP has demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident while the top leadership of the Congress asked the state government to ensure relief and support to affected families

The injured have been admitted to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital and Vaidehi Hospital. (Image: ANI)

The Bengaluru stampede, which led to 11 deaths outside Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, has triggered a massive political slugfest.

Accusing the ruling Congress of “criminal negligence”, the BJP demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident. The top leadership of the Congress, meanwhile, asked the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka to review and strengthen safety protocols for such events.

Chaotic scenes outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium spiralled out of control as thousands of cricket fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the IPL-winning team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

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WHAT DID THE BJP SAY?

The BJP launched a scathing attack on the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar for neglecting public safety while being busy in “shooting reels & hogging limelight with cricketers”.

“7 dead. Many are battling for life after a stampede due to the irresponsibility of Congress govt. No crowd control measures. No basic arrangements. Just chaos. While innocent people died, @siddaramaiah & @DKShivakumar were busy shooting reels & hogging limelight with cricketers. Shame on this photo-op Congress government. This is criminal negligence. Blood is on the hands of Congress govt,” the Karnataka BJP said on X.

Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra accused the state government of pressuring the police and organising celebrations without any preparedness and adequate police deployment.

“First of all, the state government, without any preparedness, should not have organised this today. If you would have seen the world cup match when India won, there was a big celebration in Mumbai also with a lot of preparations. When lakhs and lakhs of people celebrated last night in Bengaluru, the state government should have thought before organising a function today itself,” Vijayendra told reporters.

Vijayendra alleged that the state government went ahead with the celebrations even after senior officials of the police department advised them against organising a function near Vidhana Soudha.

“Senior higher officers of the police department had advised the government not to organise any function near Vidhana Soudha, but they pressurised the police department and forcefully organised the function. People have pelted stones, slippers. Luckily, no tragedy has taken place near Vidhana Soudha…” he added.

He visited one of the city hospitals, where victims were rushed for treatment after being injured or falling unconscious during the chaos near the stadium.

“Is it not the responsibility of the state government to be prepared? Were they not aware that lakhs and lakhs of people will come to the celebrations? Without any preparations…I just spoke to victims…there was no ambulance available inside. No police arrangement was there inside the stadium. What nonsense is this,” he said.

The BJP leader said the state government must take responsibility for the stampede. “Let the CM decide who has to take up the responsibility, because if I say anything today, it will be politics. I don’t want to comment on anything beyond this, but I demand the chief minister to take up this matter seriously and he should refer the matter to a judicial inquiry,” he said.

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi blamed the state government for the tragedy that he said “could have been avoided”. “It is truly a tragedy that around 10 people died and over 30 were seriously injured in a stampede in Bengaluru. Such a heartbreaking incident took place due to lack of proper arrangements, planning and crowd management. The Karnataka state government has failed to fulfill its responsibility,” he tweeted.

“Celebrations are taking place, but the state government’s lack of proper planning and preparation has led to such a tragedy. Not deploying emergency services is extremely irresponsible. This unfortunate incident could have been avoided, but it is the government’s failure that is responsible for this and the government must take responsibility,” he further wrote on X.

Calling the tragedy an “irreparable loss”, BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya said “the stampede broke out due to poor planning and crowd mismanagement.”

“Tragic stampede in Bengaluru. A celebration has turned into a nightmare. At an event organised by the Karnataka State Government to celebrate RCB’s IPL campaign, a stampede broke out due to poor planning and crowd mismanagement.➡️ 7 people have lost their lives➡️ 16 injured, several in critical condition,” Amit Malviya said on X.

He called out the Congress govt in the state to take responsibility for the tragedy as the “lives were lost due to negligence, not chance”. “This heartbreaking incident could have been avoided. The lack of basic administrative foresight and failure in crowd control by the state government has led to an irreparable loss. Accountability must be fixed. Lives were lost due to negligence, not chance,” he added.

WATCH | Bengaluru Stampede: RCB Fans Seen Scaling Chinnaswamy Stadium Walls, Damaging Cars

WHAT DID THE CONGRESS SAY?

While the Siddaramaiah government condoled the tragic deaths and apologised for the overcrowding at the RCB celebrations, the top leadership of the Congress said the state must review and strengthen its safety measures for such events.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the state government is committed to providing relief, medical help and other assistance to affected families. Siddaramaiah said the uncontrollable crowd outside the stadium forced the organisers to disallow the team from marching during the victory parade.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the crowd broke the gates, causing the stampede. “There was a huge crowd. We saw it from the airport itself. So we decided to cancel the procession and brought them (team) in a closed vehicle. There was a request for a procession at least from Vidhana Soudha. As there was rain, the crowd got uncontrolled, so we cancelled that procession too. Here (at the stadium) too there were arrangements, for a procession – an hour-long programme. We instructed to conclude it in 10-15 minutes and, accordingly, it was done,” he said.

Condoling the deaths in the stampede, Kharge said the Congress stands in solidarity with the people of Bengaluru.

“I am deeply saddened by the tragic stampede in Bengaluru during the celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory. The loss of precious lives and the injuries sustained by many in this unfortunate incident are profoundly distressing. My thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” he wrote on X. 

He added: “…The state government and relevant authorities must immediately review and strengthen safety protocols for such events to prevent any recurrence of such a tragedy. The joy of victory should never come at the cost of lives.”

Reacting in the same vein, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi offered his condolences to victims’ families and said he stands with the people of Bengaluru in their “hour of grief”.

“…The Karnataka government must provide all possible support and relief to the affected families. This tragedy is a painful reminder: no celebration is worth a human life. Every safety protocol for public events must be reviewed and strictly enforced – lives must always come first,” he said on X.

Manisha Roy

Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18…Read More

Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18… Read More

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