Fans throng felicitation venue, leaving 33 injured, too; cops resort to lathi-charge to control crowd. Chaotic celebrations turned into a full-blown tragedy as 11 people lost their lives and 33 others were injured outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium
Police personnel attempt to revive a stampede victim as he desperately gasps for breath near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru yesterday, where a massive crowd gathered to celebrate RCB’s IPL victory. At least 11 people were killed in the stampede and 33 injured, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said. Pic/AFP
Chaotic celebrations turned into a full-blown tragedy as 11 people lost their lives and 33 others were injured outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium while trying to join a party inside to honour Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL triumph.
Thousands converged outside the stadium as police struggled to take control of the situation, resorting to mild use of force as well. That did little to discourage the people, many of whom could be seen pressed against the stadium’s entrance gate, desperate to get in.
Fans gather outside the stadium for RCB’s felicitation ceremony, while some can be seen pressed against the stadium’s entrance gate, yesterday
The death toll is expected to rise as many of the seriously injured are being treated at the nearby Vydehi hospital and Bowring hospital. “Crowd was uncontrollable, police was finding it difficult, so we had to stop the procession,” Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said while speaking about the tragedy because of which a planned victory parade could not take place.
The BCCI said the turn of events was shocking and the organisers should have been better prepared. “It’s most unfortunate, organisers should have planned RCB’s IPL-winning celebrations better,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI. “When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions and security measures need to be taken,” he added.
An aerial view of fans gathered during the RCB felicitation ceremony at Vidhana Soudha, in Bengaluru, yesterday
This was after the team landed in Bengaluru in the afternoon, received by Shivakumar at the airport. RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the IPL final at Ahmedabad on Tuesday to clinch their maiden title in 18 years. Fans lined up the streets and thronged the Chinnaswamy stadium to catch a glimpse of the stars, including the talismanic Virat Kohli.
A cop carries away a child injured in the stampede. Pics/PTI
The scenes were a reminder of the historic welcome given to the T20 World Cup-winning Indian squad by Mumbai in July last year. However, things went haywire here. The much-anticipated open-top bus parade, which was allowed to proceed by Siddaramaiah from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium, could not take place as crowd became unmanageable for the police.
The Bengaluru Traffic Police had already discouraged such a plan citing the congestion on the route. But outside the Chinnaswamy stadium, fans jostled to sneak inside and it ultimately turned into a tragedy. Thousands of fans were also seen waiting outside the Vidhana Soudha to cheer the players.
Chaos erupts outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium
The rainy weather in the city didn’t help. The police had already endured a torrid time managing the crowd that flooded the streets to celebrate the triumph last night. In visuals shared online, Kohli could be seen holding the trophy and watching in awe, thousands who lined up the team’s bus route, cheerfully waving at the convoy.
Scathing attack
The BJP and its allies on Wednesday slammed the Karnataka government for chaos. Opposition parties in the state, including the Janata Dal (Secular), have squarely blamed the Congress-led state government for what they describe as a complete failure of planning and public safety. BJP leader CT Ravi launched a scathing attack on the Karnataka government for the alleged deaths, calling it “state-sponsored”.
“Unpredictable celebration... State-sponsored murder. The state government is responsible for this death,” Ravi stated in a post on X. Echoing the same sentiment, JDS leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy issued a strongly worded statement condemning the administration for the lives lost, as alleged by the JDS leader. Calling the incident “criminal negligence”, Kumaraswamy further alleged that six people have lost their lives during the chaos, adding, “This is not just mismanagement; this is a complete collapse of basic administration.”
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