BENGALURU: Hours after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ended an 18-year wait for their maiden IPL title, celebrations in the city spiralled into chaos as 11 people died and 47 were injured in a stampede-like rush around the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where thousands of fans — many of whom had taken leave just to be part of the long-awaited moment — had gathered to celebrate.
At Vyedhi super-speciality (VSH) Hospital on Vittal Mallya Road, 16 people were brought in, out of which four — three men and one woman — were declared dead. The remaining 12 are undergoing treatment for injuries. Two of the deceased are yet to be identified.
Dr Humera, the medical administrator at the hospital, said the victims were mostly young, between 20 to 30 years old. She added that the likely cause of death was suffocation due to the stampede. The 12 patients being treated are in stable condition and receiving outpatient care for minor injuries such as leg pain, toe injuries, and a small head injury, she confirmed.
Eyewitnesses and friends of those injured in the stampede told TNIE that the situation escalated when attendees were suddenly asked to download an app called ‘Ticket Genie’ to get free entry passes.
“There was no prior information, and many were left struggling with poor mobile networks. The announcement came just minutes before the gates were opened and the crowd kept increasing,” Mahesh, an eyewitness recalled. As the gates opened, people rushed in, and those who couldn’t get their passes on time started jumping over barricades, triggering panic and a stampede-like situation. During this, many also got separated from their groups, he added.
'He wanted to post celebration pics, had told him not to go': Mother of student
One of the deceased was Bhumik, 19, a first-year engineering student, who had come with a large group of friends and was separated from them. When his friends finally located him, he had already collapsed. They tried administering CPR and even looked for ambulances, but none was available. “There were no ambulances in sight. Even the police didn’t know what to do,” said one of his friends, adding that eventually, the police, in the jeep, took Bhumik to Vyedhi Hospital, where he was declared dead.
His family, who lives in Nagasandra, was inconsolable. Bhumik’s mother kept repeating that she had warned him not to go, but he insisted on attending the celebrations to take photos and post them on social media. “I kept telling him not to go. Now even if I shout his name, he won’t come back like he used to,” she said. “Ministers will come and go. But who will bring back my son now? If something had been done before organising all this, maybe he would have been saved,” his father said.
Software developer took leave to celebrate RCB victory with friends
Another victim was Sahana, a software developer at Bosch and a native of Kolar. She had taken leave from work and came with a group of friends to be part of the celebrations. Sahana was caught in the rush and fell after being pushed by people. The police shifted her to Vyedhi Hospital, but till 8 pm, her parents had no information about her condition. During the stampede, her friends tried to reach her but were only later told she had been taken to the hospital by the Cubbon Park police. When her friends arrived, they were informed that Sahana was brought dead.
Parents spotted injured son lying on ground in TV
A group of friends from Mangaluru, working in Bengaluru as software engineers, who had taken leave to witness the victory celebrations told TNIE that they lost touch with their friend and were only able to locate him hours later, after one of them got a call from a mutual friend — who had received a call from the injured man’s parents after they saw him lying on the ground on TV, being trampled by people. The friends then rushed to Cubbon Park Police Station, where they were redirected to Vyedhi Hospital, where he was found undergoing an MRI scan. His condition is now stable. “There was no communication, no medical help or ambulances. We didn’t even know if he was alive,” said one of the friends.
'Why this urgency?': Family, friends of victims
The families and friends of the victims questioned the decision to hold a massive public celebration just hours after the team’s victory, that too at two different locations -- Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium. “What was the urgency? Why organise something this big without proper planning?” asked a relative of one of the victims.
Eyewitnesses said there was no clear communication, poor crowd control, and no visible coordination between police, organisers and volunteers. Several people believed the incident could have been avoided if there had been basic crowd management and medical support, specifically ambulances, in place.
