‘Please don’t cut his body’: Heartbreaking plea from father of Bengaluru stampede victim

His 18-year-old son had attended the Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL victory celebration when a crowd surge outside the stadium led to the tragedy.

Published on: Jun 5, 2025, 12:46:15 IST

By HT News Desk

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A day after 11 people died in a stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a grieving father appealed to officials to hand over his son’s body without conducting a postmortem. “Please don’t cut his body. At least return him to me,” he told the media at Bowring Hospital, as reported by NDTV.

Police officers make way for an ambulance following a stampede at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India. (REUTERS)

His 18-year-old son had attended the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL victory celebration when a crowd surge outside the stadium led to the tragedy. Several others, including a 14-year-old girl, also died, and over 40 people were injured.

The stampede occurred on Wednesday evening after more than three lakh people gathered for the public event, which offered free entry. The stadium, which seats around 35,000, was unable to handle the unexpected turnout. Narrow access points became choke zones as people tried to force their way in.

(Also Read: Bengaluru stampede sparks ‘Kumbh vs Chinnaswamy’ debate over crowd chaos: 'No resignations, no accountability'

Magisterial probe ordered

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident, with a report expected in 15 days. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar apologised and said the government did not anticipate such a large crowd. He added that police had advised against certain processions earlier in the day and crowd control efforts were in place, but were overwhelmed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The Karnataka government has announced ₹10 lakh compensation for each of the deceased and promised free treatment for the injured.

New SOPs for large public events

The Karnataka government will draft a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for large public events, meetings, and celebrations to improve safety and prevent future incidents, state Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday.

The decision follows the stampede near Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people during an RCB IPL victory celebration.

(Also Read: FIR filed against unnamed people in Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy stadium stampede case)

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