A stampede broke out outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL victory in 18 years was a moment of celebration. After clinching the title, the team arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday for the felicitation ceremony. The red carpet was rolled out. The cricket lovers had arrived in lakhs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium to catch a glimpse of their heroes. However, marred by last-minute changes and an underestimation of cricket fans who would show up, the celebration turned ghastly, killing at least 11 people and leaving 47 injured.
Timeline of Bengaluru stampede
A victory parade was planned for the RCB winning squad, who finally ended the 18-year wait for the trophy. After landing in Bengaluru, the RCB team visited Vidhan Soudha to meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. A huge crowd had gathered to cheer for their champions and get a glimpse of the trophy, which was finally home.
The victory parade route was chalked out from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm. The RCB team was meant to take a lap of the city on a bus and share a glimpse of the iconic IPL trophy with the fans. They would then go to the stadium for felicitation by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
2 PM: Thousands of people had already gathered outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
3 PM: Even before the arrival of the RCB champions, the crowd swell, leading to road blockage. A massive police deployment was observed on the route.
3:30-5 PM: All 13 gates at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium saw scores of people queuing up ahead of the scheduled entry. Initially, passes were issued for the event. However, later, free entry was announced for cricket fans. The announcement led to chaos with thousands of people trying to barge in through the narrow gates.
As people tried to make their way inside the stadium, barricades toppled and people fell on each other, resulting in a stampede. This is when a stampede broke out. Dozens of footwear were seen strewn all over.
5 PM: By now, it was clear that a tragedy had unfolded. Initially, three people were feared dead, but soon the number rose to 11. Horrific visuals from the ground showed people lifting the injured on their shoulders and rushing them to the hospital. Amid this, the celebrations inside the stadium continued.
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What Karnataka Government Said
According to a report submitted by the Director General and Inspector General of Police, Bengaluru, to the Karnataka government, "unexpected gathering of thousands of fans" is what led to the stampede. In its report, the DG clarified that "all possible security arrangements were made" despite the event being scheduled at short notice.
"However, due to the unexpected gathering of thousands of fans, between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM, while trying to enter the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a barricade was broken, and people fell on each other, resulting in a stampede," the report noted.
The Chief Minister has ordered an investigation, and the report is expected within 15 days.
At a press conference following the stampede, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah admitted they did not expect such huge crowds to turn up. He expressed shock and extended condolences to the families of the 11 people. He said the "pain of this tragedy has also erased the joy of victory."
The Chief Minister said that two to three lakh people turned up for the celebration, against the stadium capacity of 35,000. This was beyond "expectations."
"The crowd turnout exceeded all expectations. Over one lakh people gathered in front of Vidhana Soudha, but no untoward incident occurred at that venue. However, the tragedy occurred at Chinnaswamy Stadium. No one anticipated this - neither the cricket association nor the government. The stadium has a seating capacity of 35,000, but an estimated two to three lakh people turned up. We did not expect such a massive turnout; we had only anticipated a crowd equal to the stadium's capacity," Mr Siddaramaiah said.
He announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those who were killed in the stampede, and free treatment for the injured.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar resonated with Mr Siddaramaiah and offered an apology. "We are heartbroken by this tragic incident. This should have never happened," he wrote on X.
Expressing condolences to the family of 11 people who were killed, Mr Shivakumar said, "We're sorry for this incident. Your pain is ours. We stand with our people - in this sorrow."
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Political Secretary Naseer Ahmed said that the celebration had to be organised at short notice as "players had commitments" and had to leave the country on Wednesday night.
"That was the situation and they insisted that they should leave today... RCB is a Bengaluru team, they just wanted to come and participate," Mr Ahmed told NDTV.
"Time was also very short, it was not announced. The match was yesterday, and today, in a very short time, whatever best possible arrangements could be made, were made," he added.
