BENGALURU — The celebrations for the RCB's first-ever IPL win turned tragic on
Wednesday as at least 11 persons died and more than 30 were injured in a
stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday after thousands of RCB
fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the team.
"11 are dead and 33 injured due to stampede near
Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru...More than 2-3 lakh people came, and no one
expected this much crowd," Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said at a
press conference.
An injured being taken for treatment following a stampede
near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, after a large number of fans gathered for the
felicitation of IPL 2025 winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru team, in
Bengaluru, Karnataka, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (PTI Photo)
He also said that the stadium could only accommodate 35
thousand spectators. The chief minister announced a magisterial inquiry into
the incident and a Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased.
The stampede took place when thousands of fans attempted
to enter the stadium from various gates. Police had a tough time controlling
the crowd, triggering chaos and turning a joyful event into a tragedy.
Police used mild force to control the crowd and bring the
situation under control ahead of a special felicitation at the stadium for the
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team organised by the Karnataka State Cricket
Association (KSCA).
Meanwhile, the felicitation of the players went ahead
nonetheless as the stadium was packed to the rafters despite the chaos outside
the stadium.
People were seen collapsing, visuals showed police
shifting the injured persons and those who fell unconscious in ambulances to
nearby hospitals. Visuals also showed some of those who were in an unconscious
state being administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by those nearby.
The injured were hospitalised at Bowring and Lady Curzon
Hospital in Shivajinagar and other hospitals. According to hospital sources,
deaths could have been caused due to suffocation. There were also
heart-wrenching scenes at the hospitals, where people were crying over the
death of their loved ones.
"The stampede incident shouldn't have happened, and
the government expresses grief over it," Siddaramaiah said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the stampede as
"absolutely heartrending".
"In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those
who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy
recovery," Modi said on X.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed deep
anguish over the loss of lives.
"The crowd was uncontrollable, police were 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.
Similar sentiments were expressed by IPL chairman Arun
Dhumal, who said, "Whatever inquiry that needs to be done, the concerned
authorities will do that. It was not a BCCI event. It is sad and tragic."
The political slugfest also started soon enough, with the
opposition BJP targetting the Congress-led government for not handling the
situation properly.
The tickets for the hastily-arranged engagement programme
were sold in a jiffy, but the fans crowded all the gates 12, 13 (main gates)
and 10 (clubhouse entrance) with not enough security to control them.
The number swelled to unexpected levels around 3.30 pm,
and it forced the police and stadium security officials to close all the gates
to prevent the ticket-less from squeezing in along with the ones who had valid
tickets.
"We came to watch our stars. I bought tickets for
the function, but was not even able to enter the stadium. Police suddenly
blocked all the roads and closed all the entrances to the venue, and suddenly
they started lathi-charging near the main gate," said Prashant Shetty, a
post-graduate student who came along with a few of his friends.
"I don't know what we did wrong. We were invited to
the function, bought tickets, but in the end got beaten up and abused. Terrible
day for fans like us," he added.
According to a traffic advisory from the Bengaluru
police, entry to Chinnaswamy Stadium was limited to only those with valid
tickets and passes."As there is limited parking facility available near
the Chinnaswamy Stadium, those who are attending the event are advised to use
public transport and Metro. The public is requested to cooperate," it said
in its advisory ahead of the felicitation ceremony.
Some reports also suggested that the sudden collapse of a
temporary slab placed over a drain near the stadium due to the weight of people
standing on it was the reason for the stampede.
