The grief of a father who lost his 21-year-old son in the Bengaluru stadium stampede has become a focal point of the tragedy, highlighting the deep personal losses behind the statistics. BT Lakshman, the father of Bhumik Lakshman, was captured in a video that has gone viral, showing him inconsolably weeping at his son's grave in their native village in the Hassan district. The heart-wrenching scene reflects the immense pain and sorrow experienced by families who lost loved ones in the incident that occurred during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebrations.
Bhumik, a final-year engineering student, was among the thousands who had gathered outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, hoping to catch a glimpse of the RCB players after their historic IPL title win. The celebrations turned tragic when a stampede broke out, resulting in the deaths of 11 people, including Bhumik and a 14-year-old girl, and injuries to 47 others.
In the video, BT Lakshman is seen lying on the ground with his head pressed against his son's grave, expressing his anguish and refusal to leave. "What happened to my son should not happen to anyone," he cries out, overwhelmed by grief. He points out that the land where his son is buried was originally bought for Bhumik's future, but now it holds his memorial. "I don't want to go anywhere else now. I want to stay here too," Lakshman says, as two men approach to help him to his feet. "No father should have to face what I am facing."
Lakshman had earlier pleaded with authorities not to conduct a post-mortem on his son's body. "I had only one son, and now I have lost him. Please give me his body, don't conduct a post-mortem and cut his body into pieces," he told reporters, his voice filled with sorrow.
The Bengaluru stampede has sparked a political blame game, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticizing the Congress-led state government for what they call "a complete failure in crowd management." Union Minister G Kishan Reddy stated that despite knowing a massive crowd would gather after RCB's win, adequate security and traffic measures were not in place. Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy directly blamed Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, calling the incident a result of "impatience, immaturity, and irresponsibility."
In response, the Congress has accused the BJP of politicizing the tragedy, asserting that the Karnataka government is doing everything possible to support the victims' families and prevent future incidents. The police have arrested four people in connection with the stampede, and five police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, have been suspended. Additionally, the Karnataka government sacked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Political Secretary K Govindaraj and the state intelligence department chief.
Adding to the controversy, it has emerged that a senior police officer had warned the Karnataka government about the potential risks of holding a felicitation event at the Vidhana Soudha. A letter written by DCP MN Karibasavana Gowda on the day of the tragedy cautioned top bureaucrats about possible overcrowding and insufficient security. The warning was reportedly shared with the then Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, who further escalated it to the chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh. Despite these warnings, the event received official clearance. B Dayananda was later suspended for serious lapses in planning and coordination.
The Karnataka government has increased the compensation for the families of the deceased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Royal Challengers Bengaluru has also announced an additional Rs 10 lakh compensation for each of the victims' families and plans to establish a support fund for those injured in the stampede.
As investigations into the incident continue, A Shankar, the Secretary, and A E Jairam, the Treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), have resigned, taking moral responsibility for the tragedy.
