As families mourn, Karnataka politicians trade blame over stadium stampede

Even before the last rites were completed for the 14-year-old and two young professionals who died in the Bengaluru stadium stampede, Karnataka’s political establishment plunged into a bitter blame game.

What should have been a moment of collective grief has turned into a spectacle of finger-pointing, with the Congress-led state government, the police, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) deflecting responsibility — and Opposition parties sharpening their attack.

Fourteen-year-old Devanshi B S, who wanted to glimpse Virat Kohli, was crushed in the crowd surge near Gate 17 of M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Her mother, Ashwini U L, who was with her, said they had only just reached the barricades when the gate opened and the crowd pushed forward. “For five minutes, I got separated. When I found her again, she was gone,” she said.

Elsewhere, 26-year-old Akshata Pai, a newlywed chartered accountant, and 20-year-old Poornachandra, a civil engineer, also died — both caught in the crush while standing outside the venue.

Even as the Siddaramaiah government ordered a magisterial inquiry into the tragedy that killed 11 and injured 33, critics pointed to glaring administrative failures. While an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh was announced, and a report ordered within 15 days, questions mounted over who authorised two major events — a government felicitation at Vidhana Soudha and a KSCA-led stadium celebration — to be scheduled just a day after Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL victory.

Sources revealed that KSCA president Raghuram Bhat Adwai met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday morning to discuss the afternoon parade. Simultaneously, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms had written to Vidhana Soudha police seeking permission for a felicitation event — neither letter reportedly mentioned a date.

A senior Congress leader admitted that the lack of coordination between the police, KSCA and the government had cost lives. “There were no big screens, no traffic control, and no plan for crowd dispersal. It was a collapse on all fronts.”

The High Court, taking suo motu cognisance, said the state had no preparation for a crowd that swelled to over two lakh. It called for a Standard Operating Protocol to prevent such tragedies, registering the matter as a writ petition for hearing on June 10.

Meanwhile, the opposition went on the offensive. Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy blamed Deputy CM DK Shivakumar directly, accusing him of “prioritising self-promotion over public safety.” He also took aim at Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G Parameshwara for their “inaction.”

BJP’s R Ashoka demanded an SIT probe headed by a High Court judge and accused the Chief Minister of “dodging responsibility” by terming it a KSCA event.

Caught in the political crossfire, DK Shivakumar broke down on camera. “This is a personal tragedy,” he said, urging restraint. “I will not do politics over dead bodies like the BJP.”

But in a state reeling from preventable deaths, restraint has given way to rivalry — and accountability remains elusive.