The tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people and injured dozens has triggered a political and public debate, with comparisons being drawn to past crowd disasters, including the Kumbh Mela stampede.
The debate was sparked after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, responding to criticism over the RCB victory celebration tragedy, said, “Such incidents happened in many places; I am not going to defend it by comparing them and saying that it happened here and there... 50-60 people died in Kumbh Mela. I did not criticise. If Congress criticises, then that is a different matter. Did I or the Karnataka government criticise?”
(Also Read: ‘Stampede was state-orchestrated’: Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya slams Siddaramaiah government)
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi strongly objected to this comparison. “Kumbh and this incident are totally incomparable. People died, but you (Karnataka CM) continued to celebrate. Why did your Deputy CM go to receive the team? A judicial inquiry should be conducted into the incident. When police denied permission, who forced them to allow the event?” he said, demanding accountability from the state leadership.
Over 50 people lost their lives in stampedes across the country this year, at temples, railway stations, the Maha Kumbh, and now at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
{{/usCountry}}Over 50 people lost their lives in stampedes across the country this year, at temples, railway stations, the Maha Kumbh, and now at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
{{/usCountry}}On January 29, during the Maha Kumbh, a stampede at the Sangam area claimed the lives of 30 people and left 60 injured. The tragedy occurred as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya.
"No resignations, no accountability"
On social media, the tragedy ignited emotional reactions. Industrialist Harsh Goenka wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Delhi station stampede. Kumbh stampede. Bangalore IPL stampede. Dozens die. No resignations. No accountability. No lessons. In India, the life of a common man isn’t priceless it’s worthless. Cheaper than a cup of chai! Business will go on as usual. Nothing will change.”
Political content creator Arpit Sharma added, “If you were defending Yogi during Kumbh stampede, you don’t have any moral right to question Chinnaswamy stampede.”
Adding context to the comparisons, an advocate on X pointed out stark differences in crowd volumes, “Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 saw approximately 663 million (66.3 crore) visits. The Chinnaswamy Stadium has a seating capacity of 35,000, but was overwhelmed by an estimated 2 to 3 lakh people. These are entirely different scales and require different levels of preparation.”
(Also Read: Bengaluru Police denied permission, RCB victory parade took place amid confusion)