Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condoled the loss of lives in a stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL winning celebrations on Wednesday, and said that an overwhelming crowd had gathered near the stadium, leading to the stampede.
Informing that 11 people had died and 33 injured in the stampede, CM Siddaramaiah announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh for the departed. He said, "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."
"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' time. 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," the Karnataka chief minister further added.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Siddaramaiah wrote, "It is with great shock that we heard the news that several people lost their lives and others were seriously injured in a stampede during the RCB team's victory celebrations at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The pain of this tragedy has even erased the joy of victory."
"May the souls of the deceased rest in peace and may those injured and those undergoing treatment in the hospital recover as soon as possible. My condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones," he added.
The Karnataka CM mentioned that the RCB team's victory parade was not allowed by the administration, as an "unpleasant incident" could have occurred due to stampede.
"Anticipating the risk of such a stampede and the inability to manage a massive crowd, precautionary measures were taken by denying permission for the victory parade. Despite that, an overwhelming crowd gathered near the stadium like a sea of people, leading to a stampede and this unfortunate tragedy," he wrote.
"I appeal to the public to understand that life is more important than love and affection, and to give safety first priority," Siddaramaiah added.
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