Siddaramaiah Distances Himself from Bengaluru Stampede, Blames Officials for Tragedy

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah denied responsibility for the June 4 Bengaluru stampede during RCB celebrations, calling it an “officials' fault.” Eleven people died. Multiple officials were suspended, but the Opposition has demanded Siddaramaiah’s resignation. He claimed he learned of the deaths hours after they were reported at the hospital.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has attempted to shift accountability for the tragic stampede that occurred outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, during celebrations of RCB’s IPL victory. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, the CM asserted that his office had “no connection with the cricket stadium” where the incident unfolded.

The stampede claimed eleven lives and left many injured as a massive crowd surged at the stadium gates. Siddaramaiah, who was not present at the stadium event, expressed sorrow but emphasized that the fault lay with officials and not with the state leadership. He stated that such an incident had never occurred during his tenure and said immediate action had been taken against responsible personnel.

He confirmed the suspension of several officials, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and his own political secretary, K Govindaraj. “We haven’t spared anyone. The police commissioner is not the only one — five others have also been suspended,” he said.

Siddaramaiah further explained that he was unaware of the deaths until 5.45 pm on the day of the incident, despite reports reaching the hospital by 3.50 pm. The Chief Minister, however, did attend a separate felicitation event at Vidhana Soudha later that day, organised by the KSCA.

While the state government announced a ₹25 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased, the BJP-led Opposition has called for Siddaramaiah’s resignation, accusing the administration of gross negligence and poor crowd management.

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The tragedy has sparked significant political debate in Karnataka, raising questions about public safety at major events and the accountability of both organisers and state officials.