Cheques amounting to ₹25 lakh have since been disbursed by the government to the legal heirs of the deceased. However, both RCB and KSCA have yet to fulfil their own commitments.
Published Jun 18, 2025 | 7:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 19, 2025 | 6:53 PM
Families contacted by South First confirmed they had received the government’s compensation but said they have not heard from either RCB or KSCA.
Synopsis: Families of the 11 victims of the 4 June stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium have yet to receive the compensations promised by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Karnataka State Cricket Association, nearly two weeks after the incident. While the state government has issued cheques for the ₹25 lakh per family it pledged, neither RCB nor the KSCA has followed through on its commitment.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has firmly rejected the BJP’s demands for his and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s resignation following the 4 June Bengaluru stampede that claimed 11 lives, accusing the party of politicising the tragedy while ignoring similar incidents under its own rule. Meanwhile, even as investigations into the incident continue, there is little clarity regarding the disbursement of compensation to the families of the deceased.
Nearly two weeks after the deadly stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 young lives and left more than 50 others injured, families of the victims are still awaiting the compensations promised by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
In the immediate aftermath of the incident on 4 June, the Congress-led state government announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for each of the deceased victims’ families and assured free medical treatment for the injured.
On the same day, RCB issued a statement expressing condolences and announced a separate ₹10 lakh financial aid for each of the 11 bereaved families. The KSCA also announced an additional ₹5 lakh compensation for each family affected by the stampede.
Following criticism over what some termed an inadequate response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on 7 June declared that the compensation from the state government would be raised to ₹25 lakh per family.
Cheques amounting to ₹25 lakh have since been disbursed by the government to the legal heirs of the deceased. However, both RCB and KSCA have yet to fulfil their own commitments.
South First reached out to the kin of at least four victims, Bhumika, 19, from MS Ramaiah Layout, Bengaluru; Poornachandra, 20, from Ramasamudra, Mandya District; Shravan KT, 17, from Kuratahalli Village, Chikkaballapura District; Sahana, 23, from SV Layout, Kolar District.
The families said that they had received the government’s compensation but had not heard from either RCB or KSCA.
On 19 June, a day after this story was published, a representative of RCB said that it had requested the details of the affected families and is in contact with the lawyers representing the victims in order to settle the amounts as soon as possible.
Representatives of KSCA have not responded to South First’s requests for an update, sent via email.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, 17 June responded sharply to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s continued demands for the resignation of both himself and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, over the stampede.
The Chief Minister challenged the BJP to first make public a list of its own leaders who had stepped down following similar tragedies.
“I request the BJP leaders in the state to first release a list of BJP leaders who resigned during similar incidents in the past before demanding our resignation,” the Chief Minister said.
He described the stampede as “an unfortunate accident” but said the government had responded decisively.
He listed disciplinary measures including the suspension of police officers, the transfer of the head of the State Intelligence Department, and the dismissal of the Chief Minister’s political secretary. He also pointed to the formation of a one-member commission to investigate the incident.
ಚಿನ್ನಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಸ್ಟೇಡಿಯಂ ಬಳಿ ನಡೆದಿದ್ದ ಕಾಲ್ತುಳಿತ ಪ್ರಕರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದಂತೆ ನಮ್ಮ ರಾಜೀನಾಮೆ ಕೇಳುವ ಮೊದಲು ಇಂತಹದ್ದೇ ಅವಘಡಗಳು ನಡೆದಿದ್ದ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜೀನಾಮೆ ನೀಡಿದ್ದ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ನಾಯಕರ ಪಟ್ಟಿಯನ್ನು ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡುವಂತೆ ರಾಜ್ಯದ @BJP4Karnataka ನಾಯಕರಿಗೆ ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ.
ಚಿನ್ನಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಸ್ಟೇಡಿಯಂ ಬಳಿ ನಡೆದಿರುವುದು ಒಂದು… pic.twitter.com/5vdNuF6zvu
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) June 17, 2025
“Despite taking such decisive actions, the BJP leaders in the state continue to protest. This makes it evident that their motives are political rather than driven by genuine concern for the people,” Siddaramaiah said.
“Politicising tragedies is not new to the BJP. It is ingrained in their DNA to pounce like vultures over every incident of death, accident, or violence. Even if an elephant dies in their courtyard, they have the habit of turning their attention to a fly on their neighbour’s plate. The people of Karnataka have understood this pattern of behaviour.”
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also lashed out at the BJP, terming it a party of “specialists” in exploiting tragedies.
“Do we need to carry the BJP on our shoulders for taking a high ground and criticising the government on the stampede? Who is responsible for the stampedes in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and many railway stations across the country? More than a hundred people died in a stampede at a UP temple alone. I went to visit the plane crash site in Ahmedabad. Did I say a word about the Union government?” he questioned.
“They are specialists in doing politics over dead bodies. They have been doing this brand of politics for a long time.”
The Chief Minister accused BJP leaders of repeatedly attempting “to incite the public by dredging up these incidents” and alleged hypocrisy, citing the party’s silence in the wake of similar tragedies under its own administrations.
“In 2002, during the Gujarat riots, approximately 2,000 innocent people from various communities lost their lives. Despite Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s suggestion to take responsibility and resign, then Chief Minister Narendra Modi neither stepped down nor expressed any remorse to date. Those demanding our resignation should first address this,” he said.
He further questioned the Union government’s silence following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April this year, in which 26 Indian citizens were killed.
“In April this year, during the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, 26 Indians lost their lives. Our party did not demand the resignation of the Prime Minister over this incident. We merely requested a special parliamentary session to discuss it, which was also denied by the Prime Minister. Even now, the perpetrators of this attack have not been identified. Isn’t this a failure of the central government? Who is accountable for this failure? Is it Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Rahul Gandhi, or Prime Minister Narendra Modi?”
Citing ongoing unrest in Manipur and the 2022 Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat, Siddaramaiah continued:
“For the past two years, Manipur has been engulfed in violence. Hundreds have lost their lives, yet the BJP Chief Minister, Biren Singh, clung to power for 20 months. He finally resigned only after the Supreme Court intervened, and violence continues to plague the state. Shouldn’t the Union Home Minister take responsibility for this?”
“In Gujarat, the Morbi bridge collapse claimed 140 lives. In January this year, 30 pilgrims lost their lives during the Maha Kumbh Mela. Were the Chief Ministers of those states not from the BJP? Not only did they not resign, but those governments have also not conducted a proper investigation into these incidents. Given this, what moral authority does the BJP in our state have to demand our resignation?”
Reiterating his government’s accountability to the people of Karnataka, he said:
“Our government is answerable to the 7 crore people of Karnataka. Hence, in the stampede case, preliminary action has been taken against those who appeared negligent. A comprehensive and impartial investigation is being conducted under the leadership of a retired judge. Based on the commission’s report, strict action will be taken against the culprits without hesitation,” he said.
“I urge the BJP leaders in the state to abandon their street theatrics and act in accordance with their conscience.”
Investigations into the incident are being carried out by multiple agencies. The Special Wing of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has commenced its probe, while a parallel magisterial inquiry is being conducted by the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the government suspended several senior police officers, citing “substantial dereliction of duty” that led to “misery, loss of precious life and embarrassment to the government.”
The order noted that the police had failed to plan adequately for crowd control and had not provided the public with necessary precautionary information.
Those suspended include B Dayanand (Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City), Vikash Kumar Vikash (Additional Commissioner, West Division), Shekhar (DCP, Central Division), Balakrishna (ACP, Cubbon Park Division), and Girish (Inspector, Cubbon Park Police Station).
Seemanth Kumar Singh (ADGP, BMTF) was transferred and appointed as Additional Director General of Police and Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, until further orders.
Among the suspended officers, only Vikash Kumar Vikash has challenged the decision. He filed a petition before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on 6 June.
According to reports, the tribunal has sought the reasoning behind his suspension.
Separately, the Karnataka High Court on 12 June declared the arrest of four representatives of Royal Challengers Sports Private Ltd (RCSPL) and DNA Networks Pvt Ltd as “illegal.”
The individuals had been arrested on 6 June in connection with the incident. Justice SR Krishna Kumar ordered their immediate release and granted interim bail.
The petitioners in the case were Nikhil Sosale, Head (Marketing and Revenue) at RCSPL; Sunil Mathew, Director at DNA Networks; Kiran Kumar, Event Manager at DNA; and Shamant NP Mavinakere, a freelance service provider for DNA.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
