Bengaluru stampede: DK Shivakumar says he went to Chinnaswamy Stadium on police request to end RCB event quickly

Karnataka Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar stated his attendance at the IPL celebration was at the Police Commissioner's request to end the event quickly.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday clarified that his presence at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebration was not voluntary but at the request of the city’s Police Commissioner, who sought his help in winding up the programme swiftly.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. (DIPR)

The June 4 celebration had turned tragic when a massive crowd outside the stadium led to a stampede that claimed 11 lives and left several others injured. The incident has since been at the centre of heated political exchanges in the Assembly, with the Opposition questioning the government’s role and Shivakumar’s visit to the stadium.

Responding during the Assembly discussion, Shivakumar said the Police Commissioner had asked him to instruct the RCB management to conclude the event within 10 minutes. “The KSCA President and Secretary were unable to reach the stadium after the felicitation at Vidhana Soudha. The Police Commissioner appealed to me to ensure that the stadium programme was closed quickly. It is true that I went there, congratulated the players, and directed the management to end the event within 10 minutes,” the Deputy CM said.

He added that he had already given the same account to the Cunha Committee, which is probing the incident. “I went to the stadium only because of the Commissioner’s request. My role was to ensure that the event was wound up without delay,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Home Minister G. Parameshwara described the tragedy as one of the darkest moments in Karnataka’s sporting history. He said the government had extended condolences to the families of the deceased from day one and continued to stand with them in their grief. “What happened at Chinnaswamy Stadium was extremely painful. Eleven people lost their lives. Society cannot take this lightly. Our prayers may not bring them back, but we hope they give courage to the families,” he told the Assembly.

(With PTI inputs)