‘Went to Hospital in Auto’: Victims' Kin Question Govt's Failures at RCB Event

Grieving families of stampede victims question lack of preparedness at the RCB victory event at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Bereaved family members and relatives of Divyanshi, a victim of the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium, mourn at her residence, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Thursday, June 5, 2025.

(Photo: PTI)

"They did not give first aid properly. She had to be taken in an auto (to the hospital). There was no police support or anything. We waited for four hours for the FIR," said Narayan, father of 15-year-old Divyanshi, as her mortal remains were loaded into an ambulance outside the morgue. She was the youngest victim of the stampede that took place outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, 4 June, amid celebrations for the IPL 2025 victory of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team.

The teary-eyed father was speaking to news agency PTI moments before the family departed for Andhra Pradesh for her last rites, while her mother cried inconsolably.

"People pushed, and she fell. My wife and sister-in-law were there with her," he said.

(Photo: PTI)

"It is the government's responsibility. They will arrange everything for a political party. For these (events), there should have been some calculation, some intelligence...?" he asked.

As questions arise over the failure of adequate security arrangements outside the stadium, and the Karnataka government's admittance of its failure to "anticipate the crowd," families of 11 victims, including two minors, are asking pointed questions of the government as they deal with the loss of their children.

All victims were young RCB fans in the age group of 15-32.

'She Was a Fan of Virat Kohli...'

Speaking to the media earlier, Narayan said that Divyanshi was a fan of Virat Kohli. The family had accompanied her to watch the 'victory march,' which was initially declared by RCB but was denied permission by the police.

"She wanted to see him in person and take a photo with him. The next thing we knew, we were carrying her body. She was a child. Why her? We should have been the ones dead instead," he said while talking to media personnel.

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Manoj Kumar (18) was the son of a pani puri vendor. Speaking to the media on Thursday, his father, Suresh Kumar, said he wanted to be an engineer.

"We were saving every penny for Manoj's education. We wanted him to study and become an engineer. He planned with his friends and went to see the march without informing us. I got to know from his friend Satvik. The state is saying they will give us 50 lakhs in compensation. Even if 1 crore is given, will that bring our son back? Our dreams have died with him," he said.

The grieving father of Bhoumik, who lost his life in the stampede, said that no amount of compensation would bring back his son.

"I had only one son. Please just give him back to me. I don’t want a post-mortem, I don’t want any compensation; no amount of money can bring my son back. I cannot live without him, not even for an hour. His mother is inconsolable. I just want to take my son home," he told the media as he cried inconsolably.

'All Victims Were Brought Dead': Hospital

The 11 victims of the stampede have been identified at Bowring Hospital: Divyanshi (15), Shivalingu (17), Devi (29), Manoj Kumar (18), Shravan Kumar (26), Akshata (26), Bhoomika (18), Sahana (21), Prajjwal G (22), Poorna Chandra (25), and Chinnaiah (19).

Bowring Hospital doctors said that most victims could not be revived after they were brought in.

In this image released by @siddaramaiah via X on June 4, 2025, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah meets an injured at a hospital following a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

(Photo: X/@siddaramaiah)

“We were told to expect a few injured cases. But the first few who came in were already dead. Then more arrived. We were not prepared for this,” Dr Meghana PG told The Quint.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Dr K Kemparaju, Bowring Hospital superintendent, said that all six victims who were brought to the hospital had already died.

"We received about 18 patients and six dead bodies. All six dead bodies we received were brought in as dead. So, among the 18 patients, eight received outpatient treatment and went home happily. The other 10 patients we admitted for observation," he said, adding that some patients would undergo surgery on Thursday.

Amid Political Blame Game, RCB Issues Statement, BCCI Distances from Event

Along with the families of the victims, the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar is being targeted by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is calling it the government's failure and questioning why the two leaders participated in the event despite the mishap.

While the chief minister and home minister G Parameshwara have maintained that the size of the crowd could not have been anticipated, Shivakumar on Thursday said that the leaders were unaware of the deaths before they attended the event.

Footwears lie on the ground outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium a day after the stampede.

(Photo: PTI)

Meanwhile, in a fresh statement issued by RCB on Thursday, the franchise announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the victims.

"The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family. As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced financial support of INR 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident," the team said.

"Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do. We remain united in grief," it added.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), meanwhile, distanced itself from the event.

"Once the IPL final is over and after the presentation, the BCCI has no role to play in where the franchise and the team go and what they do on their home ground," BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia told The Indian Express.

(With inputs from PTI, The Indian Express, and India Today.)