Sahana was working with Bosch. A soft-spoken, caring person, she was the pride of her family. Her parents, who have been teachers for over two decades, relied on her moral support, as did her younger sister.
Published Jun 10, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 10, 2025 | 9:00 AM
Sahana's death is survived by her family of three
Synopsis: Young engineer Sahana was her family’s pillar of strength. The stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed her life. Even after death, the family faced official apathy.
The house in Kolar is silent. So silent that you can hear every breath—laboured, heavy, and choked. There is no mourning in Sahana’s home—only a suffocating silence.
Soft whimpers break the stillness now and then, drifting from the corners of the dimly lit living room where a single light burns overhead. Beneath it, Sahana’s family sits in stunned silence, unmoving. Her parents’ eyes are swollen from days of crying, and her 15-year-old sister cannot speak of her. This is not a home in mourning—it is a home frozen in trauma.
Sahana, a 25-year-old engineer and the pride of her family, was among the 11 victims of the deadly stampede at the RCB victory rally in Bengaluru on 4 June. What was supposed to be a day of celebration for thousands of cricket fans turned into an of unimaginable tragedy. Over 10 lakh people surged into the city’s metro and rally zones—an unprecedented crowd met with shockingly little preparation.
Among the chaos, barricades collapsed, people were trampled, and help was nowhere in sight. Sahana was caught in it all—alive one moment, gasping for breath the next. The deaths have left 11 families devastated. But in this quiet house in Kolar, the family has lost their backbone.
‘She couldn’t breathe
’“Sahana did not initially plan to go to the rally; it was an impromptu plan suggested by her friends. She took a half-day leave from work to head to the RCB rally,” her cousin Raghavendra, who had come from Canada, said. “As the situation escalated, she got trapped under a fallen barricade. Even then, no one helped her up. Eventually, when she got out of it, she seemed fine, but soon collapsed,” he continued.
Sahana was among the 11 people killed in the stampede.
“Even then, it was not any officials but a commoner who tried to help her, carrying her on his shoulder,” he said. “She had no visible injuries apart from a few bruises. However, it turned out that she couldn’t breathe.
“I believe she was the first victim. Maybe, just maybe, some first-aid or a paramedic attending to her might’ve been the difference between life and death,” he wished.
“All of us wish she didn’t go there. We do. But she did go, like all those other people. Does that put her at fault for what happened or the administration?” he questioned.
“Even the media might forget about the victims, but these 11 families will have to suffer forever,” Raghavendra sounded frustrated.
“When someone is running a system, they need to be aware of the kind of support they require. If the police suggest not to do it, listen to them. You ruined 11 families for this name and fame,” he exclaimed.
“A crowd forming to celebrate an RCB win is not unexpected. Knowing the numbers, how could they not have paramedical services or ambulances on standby?” he wondered.
Raghavendra further expressed his displeasure with the various statements coming from authorities regarding the incident.
“You have one person saying they did not expect so many people to show up. You have another comparing it to the Kumbh Mela. It makes us miserable to see this statement. If you’re running a state, take accountability. Accept your mistake and grieve with us, don’t make such statements,” he said.
“The state has not contacted us, they only made a public announcement regarding the money they will give. If it’s about money, we will pay the state 10 times the amount. Can they bring our Sahana back? Can they help the parents grieve? What kind of people are running the state?” he was visibly angry.
“The first call we received was from Sahana’s colleague. She told us that Sahana was not feeling well; her parents assumed that it was a minor accident, maybe a fracture. However, as we approached Bengaluru from Kolar, we saw the video of her being carried over somebody else’s shoulder,” Raghavendra described.
Sahana’s cousin Raghavendra with her father.
“She was taken to Vydehi Hospital, where she was pronounced dead and then sent to Victoria Hospital for a post-mortem. We were among the few families who were able to take the body on the same day as the incident,” he explained.
“However, we were faced with the state’s apathy yet again. We did not get an ambulance or a freezer to transport her body back home. We were just given the body. They said we could find a way because Kolar is not that far,” he continued.
“The last thing a parent wants to do with their child’s body in front of them is arrange for a freezer and transportation. Yet, they had to figure things out alone in that situation,” he exclaimed, with teary eyes.
The family reached Kolar around 2 am the next day with Sahana’s body.
“Since that day, the family has been unable to eat or sleep. Speaking to the media, answering the same questions over and over, they are reliving the day with every word,” he stated.
“No parent should have to go through something like this,” he added.
Sahana was working with Bosch. A soft-spoken, caring person, she was the pride of her family. Her parents, who have been teachers for over two decades, relied on her moral support, as did her younger sister.
Sahana’s family: Chandana (sister), Suresh Babu (father), Manjula (mother), and Sahana.
“I am 40, I watched Sahana grow up. We were close. The last time I was in India in 2022, I did not think I’d return for this,” Raghavendra said, his voice fading.
“Her parents were from a village about 20 kilometres away and moved here for her education. They’ve supported Sahana, never seeking help from anyone. They were tension-free because they had Sahana. Sahana was not just some financial support; to them, Sahana was the backbone of the family, the moral support system that kept them going,” he explained.
At Sahana’s house, her parents and sister lay awake with their eyes swollen. Sahana’s sister, Chandana, refuses to speak, stating that she cannot talk about her, the pain still fresh.
“Sahana took care of everything, she gave her sister what she needed and wanted before she asked. They were the closest. The plan was that Chandana would live with Sahana while doing her PU schooling. Today, she has lost that support,” he said.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
