Bengaluru, June 5 – What should have been a night of unfiltered joy turned into an unthinkable tragedy on Wednesday when a stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) victory celebration claimed 11 young lives and left at least 33 others injured.
Thousands had gathered to celebrate RCB’s long-awaited IPL championship—an emotional high after 18 years of heartbreak and near misses. The energy in the air was electric, but the excitement soon spiraled into chaos when crowds far beyond capacity surged towards the small entry gates of the stadium. The joy turned to panic. In the crush, lives were lost—many of them young, full of dreams, just there to celebrate their team.
Among those who didn’t make it home were 13-year-old Divyanshi, 19-year-old Chinmayi, and 20-year-old Bhoomik. Each name tells a story cut tragically short. Students, workers, fans—this celebration should have been their memory to cherish, not their last moment.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, visibly shaken while addressing reporters after visiting the injured at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital and Vydehi Super Speciality Hospital, called it an “unexpected tragedy.” Expressing heartfelt condolences, he announced ₹10 lakh compensation for the families of each of the deceased and promised a magisterial inquiry to uncover how a celebration turned fatal.
“None of us expected this,” the CM admitted. “We were unprepared for the kind of crowd that came—up to 3 lakh people when the stadium holds only 35,000.”
Siddaramaiah also directed that all medical expenses for the injured—47 in total including those already discharged—would be fully covered by the government. He confirmed that all were out of danger as per medical reports.
The Chief Minister stressed that politics has no place in this moment of grief. “I don’t want to defend or play blame games,” he said. “This should never have happened. And we will ensure the inquiry brings truth and accountability.”
This heartbreaking incident casts a long shadow over what was meant to be a city-wide celebration of triumph and unity. It serves as a grim reminder: crowd control, safety planning, and human lives must never be an afterthought.
As Bengaluru mourns, the hope remains that lessons are learned, not just with reports and compensation—but with action. So that joy can return to stadiums, and celebrations don’t end in silence.
