Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Karnataka government over the tragic stampede in Bengaluru, calling it a “state-sponsored man-made disaster” and holding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar directly responsible.
The incident, which occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) victory parade following their historic IPL 2025 title win, led to the death of 11 people and left over 30 injured outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, where an estimated 3 lakh people had gathered.
“A1 and A2 in This Disaster”: BJP’s Strong Words
Poonawalla alleged that while administrative officers are being penalized post-incident, no political accountability has been enforced.
“What we have seen in the Bengaluru stampede is nothing short of a state-sponsored man-made disaster for which the CM and Deputy CM are A1 and A2. But instead of taking accountability, they are shifting the blame,” he said in a statement to media.
He also took a dig at DK Shivakumar for previously praising the police’s handling of the event, accusing the government of deflecting responsibility by blaming the crowd.
Questions Over RCB Parade Haste and Permissions
Poonawalla also raised concerns over the urgency and scale of the celebration organized for RCB, questioning the necessity of hosting such a large event on short notice:
“Was this RCB team a national team? Did it win a national competition? Then why the rush for such a massive programme in 24 hours?”
He further asked who approved the event at Vidhana Soudha, and questioned the role of top political leaders in taking part in the celebration despite chaos and fatalities unfolding nearby:
“Who was receiving the team at the airport, kissing the trophy, waving the flag? Who took the decision to continue the event even as people were dying?”
“No Action on Political Leadership”: Poonawalla Targets Rahul Gandhi
The BJP leader went on to challenge Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, questioning why accountability standards aren’t being applied uniformly across all parties:
“Why don’t you set the same standards of accountability on A1 and A2 — Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar — as you do on others?”
Calling the government’s moves a “blame game” to protect senior leadership, he accused them of using officers as scapegoats while shielding the real decision-makers.
Stampede Tragedy Casts Shadow on RCB’s IPL Victory
The stampede incident has marred what should have been a celebratory moment for RCB and its fans, who waited over a decade for an IPL title. The tragedy has since sparked massive political and public outrage, with calls for a judicial inquiry and accountability from the highest levels of the state government.
As investigations continue, the spotlight remains on whether the tragedy could have been averted with better crowd control, planning, and political prudence.