'It wasn't a BCCI event': Rajeev Shukla's first reaction after 11 killed in Bengaluru stampede during RCB victory parade

The celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) became a horrifying incident on Wednesday as 11 people were killed and several were injured during a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Reacting to the situation, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla came forward and defended the Karnataka government, saying that 'this can happen in any state'. He also clarified that it was not a BCCI or IPL event, and their officials were not aware of it.

#WATCH | Delhi: On the stampede during RCB's victory celebrations in Bengaluru, BCCI vice-president and Congress MP Rajeev Shukla says, "This can happen in any state and the ruling party should not be blamed for it. It should not be politicised. If this happens in a BJP-ruled… pic.twitter.com/FDPbJ56FM9

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2025

Assuring maximum help to the families of the deceased, Shukla said, ''This can happen in any state and the ruling party should not be blamed for it. It should not be politicised. If this happens in a BJP-ruled state, we should not blame them. The crowd was huge, I spoke to the franchise, they also did not think that such a huge crowd would come and this incident happened suddenly. Efforts are being made to provide maximum help to the families of the deceased.''

In another video shared by the news agency ANI, Rajeev Shukla is heard saying that the state government stopped the roadshow, which was originally planned for the celebration, to avoid a stampede or any such situation. ''Govt did stop the roadshow in order to avoid stampede or any such situation. But, it was not anticipated that a stampede would happen outside the stadium. Everybody should work together on the damage control,'' Shukla added.

Condoling the Bengaluru stampede, PM Narendra Modi also issued a statement and said, ''The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery.''

For the unversed, RCB clinched the IPL trophy for the first time in 18 years of the tournament's history. After winning the IPL 2025 Final against Punjab Kings, Virat Kohli announced a grand celebration in Bengaluru on June 4.