Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular), accusing them of politicising the tragic stampede at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed 11 lives and injured over 30 people.
Speaking to the media for the first time since the incident, an emotional Shivakumar broke down while offering condolences to the families affected. “I don’t want to indulge in dirty politics. But BJP and JDS have always played politics on dead bodies — that’s their agenda. We are deeply hurt. The image of Karnataka and Bengaluru has taken a hit, and we take responsibility. We are not blaming anyone else,” he said.
The stampede occurred when a massive crowd of nearly three lakh people gathered outside the stadium to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory. The venue, with a seating capacity of just 34,000, was overwhelmed by the unanticipated turnout.
Shivakumar took direct aim at Union Minister and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy, saying, “Playing politics on dead bodies is his profession. I won’t stoop to his level. I saw the pain of the children and their families. No one can digest such a tragedy.”
The Deputy CM stressed that the state government was caught off guard and was left with no option but to permit the event. “RCB had only told the media they were coming. The crowd surged unexpectedly. We had no chance to control it. Once I received word about the stampede, I ordered officials to stop the event immediately,” he added.
He also revealed that the government wasn’t even allowed to make public announcements during the chaos. “The commissioner informed us later that he had done what he could. I instructed him right away to halt the programme. There was no space for speeches. This is a moment of mourning, not blame.”
Earlier, Union Minister Kumaraswamy had demanded Shivakumar’s resignation, holding him directly responsible for the incident and accusing him of “impatience, immaturity, and irresponsibility.”
The Karnataka High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and is set to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the stampede later today.
As political tensions escalate over the tragedy, Shivakumar urged a pause on blame games and emphasised unity in grief. “This isn’t the time for political point-scoring. The whole government is in shock. Let us first stand by the grieving families.”
