Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that he went to the event only because he was invited and he did not have any role in organising it. Siddramaiah's remarks came as he faced criticism over the Bengaluru stampede last week, that claimed 11 lives.
"We didn't organise the event, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) did...The secretary and treasurer of KSCA came and invited me to the event...therefore I went," Siddaramaiah said.
He added that he was not aware of anything rather than just being there. "They also informed me that Governor is also coming," he said.
He also added that he became aware of the deaths caused by the stampede at 5.45 pm. "At 3.50 pm, deaths were reported at the hospital, but I came to know about it only at 5.45 pm...I have taken action against whoever has done wrong," he said.
On the Bengaluru stampede, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah says, "...The government will look into shifting the cricket stadium to another location. Such an unpleasant incident should not happen under any government. Personally, this incident has hurt me and the government. Five police… https://t.co/EIM8SglhBS pic.twitter.com/SkTJat2sfD
— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2025
On the day of the victory march after Royal Challengers Bangalore won their maiden IPL tournament on June 4, the CM and other leaders were present outside the Vidhan Soudha near the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
With a huge crowd barging in to witness the felicitation and get the peek of the RCB players, a stampede occurred in which over 50 people got injured.
The state accused the police for not taking proper precautions to handle the event. Three top police officers including the city police commissioner was suspended following the incident. Also, four people, including the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Marketing Head and DNA Event Management Company staffers, were arrested.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP and JD(S) blamed the Siddaramaiah-led government for the mishap. They accused the CM and deputy CM for using police as 'scapegoats' and held them directly responsible for the stampede.
The state's Criminal Investigation Department is presently investigating the matter. The Karnataka High Court took suo motu cognizance of the matter and has asked for a status report from the state government by June 10.
Taking cognizance of the incident, the bench stated that the court wanted to ascertain the reasons which led to the tragedy, “whether the tragedy could have been prevented, what remedial measures need to be taken to prevent such tragedies in future.”
