Amid Kannada language row, Kamal Haasan reacts to ‘heart-wrenching’ Bengaluru stampede during RCB parade

Kamal Haasan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express grief over the stampede incident in Bengaluru at RCB parade.

Actor Kamal Haasan is "deeply distressed” to read about the stampede mishap outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrated their maiden IPL title win in 18 years. He has expressed grief over the tragic incident.

Kamal Haasan recently faced backlash for his comment on the Kannada language. (Photo by SUJIT JAISWAL / AFP) (AFP)

Kamal Haasan heartbroken

Kamal took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express grief over the incident, saying his “heart reaches out” to affected families.

“Heart wrenching tragedy in Bangalore. Deeply distressed and my heart reaches out to the families of the victims in this moment of grief. May the injured recover soon,” he posted.

Kamal’s comment came amid an ongoing controversy over his recent remarks on the Kannada language, which have been a subject of intense discussion.

Kamal is getting backlash for his remarks suggesting that “Kannada was born out of Tamil” ahead of the release of his film Thug Life. The Mani Ratnam-directed film has been barred from release in Karnataka. Recently, the Karnataka High Court slammed his statement and called him out for not apologising.

What do we know about Bengaluru stampede

Celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL title turned into a tragedy after 11 people were crushed to death and another 47 injured following a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday evening. The incident has raised serious questions about police preparedness and organisational planning.

The RCB's celebration started with the franchise visiting the Vidhana Soudha to meet Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Karnataka CM felicitated the IPL 2025 champions before the players made their way to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, before their arrival at the venue, news of a stampede broke out, which caused fatalities.

Owing to the stampede in Bengaluru outside RCB's home venue, the victory celebrations were cut short. Only RCB captain Rajat Patidar and Virat Kohli gave speeches before flaunting the trophy in front of the fully-packed crowd inside the Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB, on Tuesday, had won the IPL 2025 title after defeating Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad.