‘There was a mistake; better planning and coordination could have avoided it’: Minister Priyank Kharge

BENGALURU: Rural Development and IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday admitted that the stampede near M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which caused the death of 11 people, could have been prevented with better planning and coordination.

Speaking to media persons, Kharge said, “Yes, there has been a mistake. This could have been avoided with better planning and coordination. A stadium with a capacity of 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people, poured out on the streets. Although we did our best, we were unable to manage the crowd”.

He added that the Chief Minister has taken responsibility for the incident and assured that corrective measures will be implemented. He also accused the BJP of politicising the tragedy.

#WATCH | On Bengaluru stampede, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge says, ” Yes, there has been a mistake. This could have been avoided with better planning and coordination. A stadium (M. Chinnaswamy stadium) which has a capacity of 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people poured out on… pic.twitter.com/lYZpEScaQL

— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2025

“BJP likes to politicise everything. The same BJP, when told that a victory parade on an open bus in such a short time was not possible due to a lack of time to make arrangements, said that we were insulting the team. Now that post is deleted. BJP’s intention of politicising everything is not healthy”, he said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy directly blamed the Karnataka Government for the stampede that broke out outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) win in the IPL final and claimed the lives of 11 and injured 30 others. The Minister called it a ‘complete failure’ of the state government.

Reddy said, “This is due to the complete failure of the Karnataka Government. Everyone knew there would be a huge crowd today (after RCB’s win in the final), but no proper security arrangement or traffic management was done…”

#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

Earlier, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy accused Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar of being responsible for the stampede. Kumaraswamy alleged that the incident was caused by the Deputy Chief Minister’s “impatience, immaturity, and irresponsibility.”

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar offered an apology. Shivakumar said, “This should not have happened and we never expected such a big crowd…The stadium’s capacity is 35,000, but more than 3 lakh people were there…Gates (of the stadium) have been broken…We apologise for this incident…We want to know the facts and give a clear message…”

He accused the BJP of politicising the incident. “BJP is doing politics…We are very sorry for the incident. We will work out a better solution in the future…”The Congress leader also said that all government events scheduled for tomorrow have been postponed after the tragedy.”…Tomorrow, except the cabinet meeting, all programmes have been postponed. No celebrations, including the World Environment Day…”

The incident occurred near the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium when thousands of fans gathered to glimpse their favourite players ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory celebrations.

The Karnataka government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased killed in the stampede. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed a press conference and said the government would also provide free treatment to the injured.

“A major tragedy occurred during the victory celebrations. It happened near the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased. The government will provide free treatment to the injured,” the CM said.

Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, CM Siddaramaiah said, “11 died and 33 were injured in the stampede. This tragedy should not have happened. The government expresses deep sorrow over this incident.”The Karnataka CM further asserted that he has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter.”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. People even broke the gates of the stadium. There was a stampede. No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people came,” CM Siddaramaiah said.

RCB finally ended an 18-year wait for the coveted IPL trophy, defeating Punjab Kings by six wickets in the finals of IPL 2025, held on Tuesday at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. (ANI)