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Siddaramaiah blames ‘mass hysteria’ for Bengaluru stampede, cites 20 similar incidents in BJP-ruled states
Siddaramaiah noted similar tragedies in BJP-ruled states, emphasizing that such incidents are not unique to Karnataka.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday defended his government over the June 4 stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed 11 lives, saying the tragedy was triggered by “mass hysteria” after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic IPL victory. Replying to opposition attacks in the Assembly, he pointed out that at least 20 stampedes had taken place in states ruled by the BJP.
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What CM Siddaramaiah said?
The Chief Minister read out a list of past tragedies to underline his argument, starting with the 2008 Naina Devi temple stampede in Himachal Pradesh during the tenure of Prem Singh Dhumal, and the same year’s Jodhpur incident in which 250 people died. He also recalled the 2013 Ratangarh stampede, the 2021 Haridwar tragedy, the 2023 Sehore incident in Madhya Pradesh, and the 2024 Hathras stampede in Uttar Pradesh that killed 121 people.
Siddaramaiah further mentioned the January 2025 Kumbh Mela stampede in Prayagraj, where 39 people lost their lives, and the 2022 Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat that left 135 people dead. “Such tragedies have occurred in many states. This is not something new or exclusive to Karnataka,” he argued.
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Expressing grief, the Chief Minister said the loss of 11 lives in Bengaluru was unprecedented in his political career spanning over four decades. “In my 42 years of public life, I have never witnessed 11 people dying in a stampede. I was deeply pained and expressed my sorrow on the very same day,” he told the House.
Siddaramaiah stressed that RCB’s maiden IPL triumph was seen by citizens as a matter of Bengaluru’s pride, which fuelled the overwhelming turnout at the stadium. “The mass hysteria created by RCB’s win led to the incident. In democracy, we sometimes have to bow to people’s expectations—that is the essence of democracy,” he said, adding that he had no option but to attend the celebration.
