Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday broke down on camera while interacting with the media over the stampede in Bengaluru during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025 victory parade near Chhinaswamy stadium. At least 11 people lost their lives in the tragedy, while over 30 people were injured in the stampede which took place on Wednesday, June 4.
"I am worried about the children, those small children, I saw they were 15 years old. I’ve seen with my eyes at least 10 people who died. No family can digest this loss," Shivakumar told media in Kannada, as reported by India Today.
Notably, the deputy CM is facing flak over the stampede as he was inside the stadium taking part in celebrations when the incident took place. Opposition parties, including Janata Dal Secular (JDS). in the state have been targeting Shivakumar over the incident.
"We must learn an administrative lesson, let the opposition do politics on dead bodies,” Shivakumar said. “I will list how many dead bodies they have done politics on. But it hurts to see the little children. I have seen their pain,” he added.
The Deputy CM said that he was informed of the incident by officials.
Earlier in the day, the Karnataka government released the details of the 11 people killed in the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) victory celebrations on June 4.
Among the dead, one hailed from Udumalapet near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, and the rest are from Bengaluru and other districts of the state. The victims have been identified as AS Divyanshi (13), Shivalinga (17), Chinmayi (19), Bhoomik (20), Prajwal (20), Shravan (20), Sahana (25), Akshata (27), Devi (29), Doresha (32) and Manoj (33).
The tragedy unfolded when the victory celebrations were taking place inside Chhinaswamy Stadium.
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday registered a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and sought a report from the Congress-led government in the state.
On Tuesday, the RCB defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs to clinch its maiden IPL trophy.
