Harsh Goenka on Bengaluru stampede tragedy: ‘Human life cheaper than cup of chai’

RPG Enterprises chairperson Harsh Goenka reflects on how invaluable a common man's life is after 11 people were killed in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru.

Chaos had unwound in the victory parade following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) first-ever win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

Heartbroken by the 11 lives that the Bengaluru stampede claimed, Goenka said there's no accountability for the dozens that die in such stampedes in India.

“Delhi station stampede. Kumbh stampede. Bangalore IPL stampede. Dozens die. No resignations. No accountability. No lessons,” he wrote in an X post.

“In India, the life of a common man isn’t priceless- it’s worthless. Cheaper than a cup of chai!” he added.

Goenka concluded his post saying, “Business will go on as usual. Nothing will change.”

RCB's original owner, Vijay Mallya also condoled the death of the stampede victims and said, “Absolutely gutted to hear of the sad loss of life and injuries in Bengaluru. RCB fans who came to celebrate the IPL champions met a fate that they did not deserve.”

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the unfortunate victims. Om Shanti,” he added.

The deadly Bengaluru stampede

Nearly 3 lakh people gathered to celebrate RCB's historic victory, which finally ended an 18-year wait for the coveted IPL trophy. However, on 4 June, the celebration spiralled into a tragedy near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The incident occurred when fans attempted to enter the stadium, where a special felicitation ceremony was organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Academy (KSCA) to honour the RCB players for their maiden IPL title.

The stampede led to the death of 11 people. Around 33 people were injured following the stampede near the stadium.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the stadium has a capacity for 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people had come. “Nobody had expected so much of a crowd to come.”

According to the police, around 50,000 people were within a 1-kilometre radius and the number just kept increasing.

3 reasons that led to the Bengaluru stampede

Confusion over the victory parade, free passes, overcrowding and limited seats at the Chinnaswamy Stadium are said to be some of the major reasons that led to the stampede that left at least 11 people dead.

Police sources told PTI that the initial chaos later turned into a stampede as several cricket enthusiasts, who did not have entry tickets to the stadium, tried to swarm into the premises along with those who had valid tickets.

The Bengaluru Traffic Police announced at 11:56 a.m. on Wednesday that the stadium would not host a victory parade but only a felicitation function.

However, the RCB team's management said at 3.14 pm that they would hold a victory parade at 5 pm and offered free passes with limited entry.

Police said that even though they had made it clear that no victory parade would be held and that only those with tickets would be allowed to enter the stadium, fans gathered outside the stadium in large numbers, and many among them also jumped the gates to gain entry.

“While those with valid tickets were allowed to enter the stadium for celebrations, many tried to squeeze in with those who had free passes and tickets. In that bid to get entry, some of them also started pushing each other,” a police officer said.