'Those children...': Shivakumar breaks down while talking about Bengaluru stampede
What's the story
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar broke down in tears on Thursday as he addressed the media following the tragic stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives.
"I am worried about the children, those small children, I saw they were 15 years old. I've seen 10 dead bodies with my own eyes. No family can digest this loss,' he told the media.
The victims are all under the age of 40, with the youngest being 13 years old.
Twitter Post
Shivakumar breaks down
#WATCH | Bengaluru: Karnataka DCM DK Shivakumar breaks down as he comes out to address the media for the first time after the #BengaluruStampede. pic.twitter.com/1GDMZOBAm4
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2025
Crowd chaos
'Over 3 lakh were there'
The tragedy unfolded during a victory celebration for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team after their first Indian Premier League (IPL) title win.
On Wednesday, Shivakumar admitted that the crowd was much larger than anticipated.
He added, "The stadium has a capacity of 35,000, but over three lakh were there....We never expected such a big crowd."
He also addressed the broken gates at the stadium, saying, "This incident has happened...where the doors have been broken... We fully apologize for this."
Political blame
Shivakumar says BJP politicizing the incident
Shivakumar also took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying they were politicizing the incident.
"They're doing politics... They wanted the procession. This has happened without the procession," he said, adding that if a procession had taken place, everyone would have blocked the roads and gone on their vehicles.
Government response
CM orders magisterial inquiry
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the families of those who died in the stampede.
He also said that the government would provide free treatment to those injured in the incident.
The CM ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter, which he said would be completed within 15 days.