Bengaluru stampede: Karandlaje visits injured, urges judicial enquiry by High Court

Bengaluru, June 5 Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shobha Karandlaje, on Thursday paid a visit to the Bowring Hospital and enquired about the health of the people injured in the stampede at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, in which 11 people were killed during the victory celebrations of the RCB team.

Shobha has written a letter to the acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court with an urgent request for suo moto intervention and judicial enquiry into the stampede incident.

She stated, “This tragedy is not just a result of an accident – it is a consequence of systematic failure and the complete collapse of state responsibility. Only the timely intervention of this court can uphold justice and restore public faith in governance and the rule of law.”

"What is even more alarming is the public statement by the CM, wherein he stated that the state government is not responsible for the stampede or the resultant deaths, claiming that the government had only organised the event at Vidhana Soudha and not at the stadium," Shobha noted.

“This disowning of responsibility amounts to a blatant attempt at whitewashing the role of the government and shielding the officers responsible for this catastrophic mismanagement. It is evident that this is a cover-up intended to grant a clean chit to the very machinery that failed the people,” she claimed.

She further noted, “To add to the concern, the magisterial inquiry ordered by the CM, headed by the Deputy Commissioner, an officer who is answerable to the same administration under scrutiny – is inherently biased and lacks public credibility. Such an internal probe cannot be expected to conduct an impartial and independent investigation into the incident.”

“I write this letter with a heavy heart and deep concern over the tragic stampede incident that occurred at the M. Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in Bengaluru during the public felicitation of the RCB team. This incident, which has claimed the lives of at least 11 innocent people and left more than 45 injured, is a direct consequence of gross negligence, mismanagement, and administrative failure on the part of the state government and its officials.”

The event was marred by the total lack of crowd control, planning, and coordination between government departments and police authorities. Despite clear indicators of an unprecedented public turnout - estimated to be over 2 lakh people - there was no proper crowd management plan, no emergency medical support, and no deployment of adequate ambulance services.

Shockingly, around 4.45 pm, a stampede-like situation developed outside several gates of the stadium, leading to mass panic and injuries, she stated.

Shobha Karandlaje further urged the Chief Minister to provide minimum of Rs 50 lakh compensation and free treatment to the injured.

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