CHENNAI: In what was supposed to be a celebration parade remembered fondly for years ended up turning into a tragic incident as several lives were lost in a stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL title win ceremony in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Expecting to watch their cricketing heroes and celebrate their team's victory, thousands of fans had taken to the streets since the afternoon. Soon, it led to chaos and tragedy as several people were injured and at least 10 people died by the time the team reached the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the bus after meeting with the state chief minister in Vidhana Soudha.
From metro stations to roads, everything came to a standstill in the city as thousands of fans, including children, were trying to get to the venue and get a glimpse of their stars and the team without any clarity on the situation. In several videos that did rounds on social media, law enforcement officials could be seen pleading to the fans to go back home and watch the celebrations on television. What made the tragedy look even worse was that the celebrations went on inside the stadium — it was also streamed live — even as the death toll increased.
Reacting to the tragic loss of lives, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said: "We offer our heartfelt condolences to everyone who lost their loved ones. It was really shocking for us and we are very sad about the loss of life in Bengaluru. Some serious lapses have definitely taken place in Bengaluru and because of it so many people were injured so many lives were lost. Last year, there was proper co-ordination BCCI, state government and local law enforcement authorities; planning and protocols were maintained, there were lots of checks and balances. Everything was planned and done. We hope in future nobody takes up such kind of celebration where any loss of lives happen because people gather without doing necessary homework for protocol and planning," Saikia told this daily.
Fan celebrations after a big win in cricket is not unusual but it takes time to plan and organise such events. Last year, when the BCCI had an open bus parade in Mumbai after the T20 World Cup win, there was a similar stampede-like situation with thousands of fans swarming the marine drive area and Wankhede Stadium. Thursday, however, ended up being a dark day due to lack of communication, hurriedness and unpreparedness from all parties involved.
It all began early on Wednesday morning when it was told that the team would land in the afternoon, meet the state chief minister before doing an open bus parade from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the celebrations. However, around 1 PM, Bengaluru traffic police released a statement saying there will be felicitation and function, advising the public to avoid the roads around the stadium between 3-8PM. In this statement, they had said: "There will be NO victory parade." This statement came as a disappointment to the fans who were already getting ready and gathering.
But about two hours later, RCB announced that there will be an open bus parade from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium from 5PM onwards and free passes to enter the ground can be booked on their website. Soon, there was chaos on the streets which led to the stampede. Hours after the unfortunate chaos, RCB released a statement saying that they were not aware of the situation outside the venue. "RCB mourns the tragic loss of lives and extends our heartfelt condolences to the affected families. Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our program, and followed the guidance and advice of the local administration," the statement read.
Karnataka State Cricket Association expressed their condolences and added that they will be giving Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who had lost their lives. "RCB - KSCA expresses deep concern and heartfelt condolences regarding the unfortunate incident that occurred during the celebration organised by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium earlier today (Wednesday). RCB - KSCA announces 5 lakhs to the families of those who have lost their loved ones," the statement from KSCA Chief Financial Officer Shivaki Lokre read.
