A deeply emotional video has emerged from Karnataka showing BT Lakshma mourning the loss of his 21-year-old son, Bhumik Lakshman, who died in the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium following Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) IPL title celebration. The tragedy, which occurred on Wednesday, claimed 11 lives and injured 47 others.
Thousands had gathered to celebrate RCB’s historic victory, but the large crowd outside the stadium turned into chaos, leading to a fatal stampede. Among the victims was Bhumik, a final-year engineering student who had come hoping to glimpse his cricketing heroes.
Grief at the Gravesite: “I Don’t Want to Go Anywhere Else Now”
In a video now widely shared on social media, Lakshma can be seen lying face down on his son’s grave in their native village in Hassan district. Visibly broken, he sobs, “What happened to my son should not happen to anyone. The land I had bought for him is where his memorial has been built.”
As others try to console him, he adds in despair, “I don’t want to go anywhere else now. I want to stay here too… No father should have to face what I am facing.”
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO:
બેંગલુરુમાં થયેલી ભાગદોડમાં પોતાના 21 વર્ષના પુત્ર ભૌમિકના મૃત્યુ પછી, તેના પિતા તેની કબરને ગળે લગાવીને વારંવાર એક જ વાત કહી રહ્યાં છે કે, ‘મારે પણ અહીં રહેવું છે, હવે હું મારા ભૌમિકને છોડીને ક્યાં જાઉં..#stampede #bangalorestampede #stampedeinbangalore #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/vRAoc6Bdh5
— Our Rajkot (@our_rajkot) June 8, 2025
Political Row Erupts Over Tragedy
The video has been picked up by the Karnataka unit of the BJP, which launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The party accused the state leadership of prioritising optics over safety.
“Murderous CM @siddaramaiah sir, murderous DCM @DKShivakumar sir… your insistence on taking a photo on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha has made 11 families wash their hands in tears every day. Can you give this father his son back?” the BJP wrote on X, in Kannada.
The criticism refers to the state-sponsored felicitation of RCB players held at Vidhana Soudha, attended by top Congress leaders which coincided with the tragic event.
Father’s Appeal: “Don’t Cut My Son’s Body”
Earlier, Lakshma had made an emotional plea to authorities not to perform a post-mortem on his son. “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. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister may visit us (the victims of the tragedy), but they can’t bring him back,” he had told reporters, tears choking his voice.
Arrests, Suspensions Follow Incident
In response to the disaster, the Karnataka government has acted against those believed responsible. Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the stampede. Additionally, five police officers, including Bengaluru’s Police Commissioner, have been suspended.
Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, K Govindaraj, and the state’s Intelligence Department Chief have also been dismissed for their roles in the event’s poor crowd control and planning.
The Congress, meanwhile, has accused the BJP of politicising the loss and stated that the state is fully committed to supporting the victims’ families and preventing such a tragedy in the future.
