‘Shocked. Disgraced’. That is how Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), termed the tragic incidents outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday evening, when triumph turned to tragedy in the bat of an eyelid, as he echoed the sentiments of millions in India and outside.

Bengaluru had gone into celebratory mode from Tuesday night once Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were formally crowned IPL champions for the first time, after 17 unsuccessful attempts. An impromptu event in the celebrations, including fans, was organised for Wednesday. 

The team had not even reached its hotel when more than 25,000 people had gathered outside the stadium, desperately looking for a way in. This was a little after 3 pm; the ‘event’ wasn’t for at least a couple more hours. Screams of ‘RCB’ and ‘Kohli Kohli’ made for a festive atmosphere, though one couldn’t shake off the unmistakable feeling that something grim was about to unfold.