A victory celebration turned to tragedy. But when the state of our Police and the quality of our political leadership are tragic, we are bound to have tragedies.

It appears the reasons for the Bengaluru stampede were a collective failure of the Bengaluru Police, the politicians and the RCB marketing team.

The Police failed to act on the clearly growing crowd movement towards Chinnaswamy Stadium. The politicians ignored Police advice to postpone the event and the RCB team announced the victory parade without securing Police clearances.

But the real culprit behind this catastrophe is FOMO — the Fear Of Missing Out.

Once a harmless acronym, FOMO has now evolved into a full-blown cultural condition. It is no longer limited to party-hopping college kids. It’s now a pan-generational virus infecting uncles, aunties, influencers, bureaucrats and even Cabinet Ministers. Everyone wants to be there. Everyone wants to be seen there.

We live in the age of existence through exhibition. If it didn’t happen on Instagram, did it happen at all?

Recently, people rushed to watch the British band Coldplay perform, most didn’t know a single song. But what mattered was that they got an Instagram reel showing “I was there.”

Take the Kumbh Mela. Once the sacred pilgrimage of the devout, it has now become a viral pilgrimage for the digitally devout.

People claim they go for spiritual reasons but let’s be honest, many are pseudo-spiritualists in search of selfies, not salvation.

Even our leaders are not immune. Why else would the Deputy Chief Minister rush to the airport to receive a cricket team that is, technically, just another business vertical of a liquor conglomerate?

Why was it necessary to felicitate the team on the steps of Vidhana Soudha? Because FOMO isn’t limited to the public. Politicians too suffer from the Fear Of Missing Out on a photo-op.

FOMO isn’t just a psychological strain anymore, it’s become a public safety hazard.

FOMO is what drew lakhs of people to RCB’s parade. For many, it wasn’t cricketing spirit…it was the desire for content.

When attention becomes currency, then there is bankruptcy of common sense. Common sense to sense danger and not go to a parade that is guaranteed to be chaotic.

Now comes the uncomfortable question: Should the tax-payer foot the compensation bill?

Of course, it is tragic that people died. But are we, the overburdened tax-payers, expected to endlessly bankroll other people’s poor choices and the Government’s repeated failures?

Every year, the Mysuru Police issue warnings during Mysuru Dasara not to climb onto old buildings to watch the procession. Yet, every year, people do. If they fall and die, who’s to blame?

We live in a culture that casually disrespects safety. From jumping onto moving trains to driving on one-way streets. From not wearing helmets to hoisting toddlers through car sunroofs.

Yet when tragedy strikes, compensation is demanded, but not introspection.

This compensation culture has created a perverse incentive… people no longer demand accountability or justice, they demand payouts. The State is only too eager to use public money to purchase public silence. Wah!

Even worse, we reward irresponsibility while ignoring integrity. A man who dies in a stampede caused by his own negligence and the State’s incompetence receives lakhs in compensation. A soldier killed defending the country? A mere salute!

It’s time to draw a line. Compensation must not be a default setting. There must be clear criteria based on intent, responsibility and cause. We cannot continue to subsidise stupidity.

Let’s also not ignore the political posturing that will inevitably follow. Will Chief Minister Siddharamaiah use this tragedy to delay vacating his seat for Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar?

A senior Police Officer, who advised postponement of RCB victory parade, has been suspended. If that’s the standard, shouldn’t the CM suspend himself? Or will he demand the resignation of his Deputy so he can continue to be the CM? We may be heading for a political stampede.

The RCB tragedy is not just about crowd control or Police missteps. It’s about a society that has made visibility the new virtue. A society where we don’t feel alive unless we are seen. And in trying to be seen, we are risking everything, even our lives.

If this is the future of politics, of social behaviour and of public safety, then FOMO is not just a cultural trend. It is a public health emergency.

The solution isn’t just better policing. It’s better thinking. It’s media literacy. It’s a civic responsibility and a collective refusal to validate foolishness with compensation.

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A senior Police Officer, who advised postponement of RCB victory parade, has been suspended. If that’s the standard, shouldn’t the CM suspend himself? Or will he demand the resignation of his Deputy so he can continue to be the CM? We may be heading for a political stampede.

The RCB tragedy is not just about crowd control or Police missteps. It’s about a society that has made visibility the new virtue. A society where we don’t feel alive unless we are seen. And in trying to be seen, we are risking everything, even our lives.