"Approximately 8 Lakh People Showed Up": Karnataka Home Minister On Stampede

Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parmeshwara has claimed that approximately 8 lakh people descended upon Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium for Royal Challengers Bangalore's victory celebrations, which triggered a stampede and resulted in the deaths of 11 people and injuries to 47 on Tuesday evening. 

"We estimated that 1 lakh people were outside Vidhan Soudha and 25,000 outside the stadium. We did not expect that 2.5 lakh people would come. 8.70 lakh Metro tickets were sold. Assuming most were cricket fans, 8 lakh people showed up. There has been no previous instance of so many people gathering for cricket. It would have been a record had it gone well. I've spoken to RCB and spoken to the KSCA - they've told us their opinion," Dr Parmeshwara said.

The victims of the stampede were all under the age of 40, with a 13-year-old girl among the dead. Three teenagers and six young adults in their twenties were among those who died. Most had arrived with friends to witness a once-in-a-generation moment - RCB's maiden IPL title win after an 18-year wait.

"I have come here to see what can be done to make sure this doesn't happen again. There is no information about people dying on the spot. We do not have information on how many died at the gates. Stampedes occurred at Gates 7, 6, 2, 2A, 16, 17, 18, and 21. Forces from all divisions were mobilised," he added. 

Among the dead are Divyanshi (13), Bhoomik (20), Shivalinga (17), Prajwal (20), Shravan (20), Chinmayi (19), Sahana (25), Akshata (27), Devi (29), Doresha (32), and Manoj (33). Many of them were from Bengaluru, but others had travelled from nearby districts.

The stadium itself holds only 35,000 people, but officials estimate that the crowd swelled to over several lakhs. Footwear, mobile phones, and bags littered the entrance hours after the stampede, with emergency services stretched thin.

At approximately 3:14 pm on Wednesday, RCB announced that free passes would be made available for the public ceremony. That announcement sparked a sudden surge of people toward the stadium. With no clear entry protocols and no ticketing control, thousands attempted to enter the venue all at once. Reports indicate that many climbed barricades and gates, while others were pushed to the ground and trampled.

A letter dated June 3 appears to challenge the government's claim that the event was planned last-minute. The letter shows that the KSCA had sought formal permission in advance to organise the felicitation ceremony on the steps of Vidhana Soudha.

A large portion of the Bengaluru City Police force was redeployed to secure the Vidhana Soudha complex, where the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and Governor were scheduled to meet the RCB team.

At the Vidhana Soudha, estimates suggest more than one lakh people had gathered. At the stadium, by contrast, where crowd estimates range from 1.5 lakh to 3 lakh, there was a shortage of manpower. The crowd that converged on the stadium then exceeded 3 lakh, making it extremely difficult for the police to control the crowd.