A tragic incident unfolded at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday when at least eight people died and more than 40 were injured in a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL title celebrations. The celebration was meant to mark the team’s first IPL championship after an 18-year wait, following their victory over Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.The situation turned chaotic as thousands of fans gathered outside the stadium to catch a glimpse of the Rajat Patidar-led team. Police forces struggled to maintain control of the crowds, eventually resorting to mild force to manage the situation.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The incident prompted an immediate response from BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who acknowledged serious security lapses in the organisation of the victory celebration.“This incident of deaths due to stampede is totally shocking for us. We at BCCI extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. We also pray for the speedy recovery of all those who have been injured. When one organises a victory celebrations of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There has been some lapses in some corner somewhere. Due diligence should have been done so that an incident like this could have been avoided,” Saikia told news agency PTI.The BCCI secretary also expressed concern about the ongoing celebrations, hoping to prevent any further incidents.Saikia drew a comparison to recent successful crowd management efforts, highlighting the IPL finals at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium and the T20 World Cup victory parade in Mumbai.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans at the Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru during the team’s felicitation ceremony. (AP)
“I have heard that celebrations are on and I sincerely hope that nothing untoward happens. Even yesterday in Ahmedabad, during IPL finals, there were 120,000 people at the Narendra Modi Stadium. But BCCI has a dedicated team which has done elaborate planning in coordination with local district administration and law enforcing authorities to ensure that safety and security of the spectators,” he said.He further elaborated on the BCCI’s approach to organising large-scale celebrations, citing the T20 World Cup victory parade as an example.“When we organised the Victory parade in Mumbai after the T20 World Cup, we had spoken to the local authorities and made elaborate arrangements keeping in mind the safety and security of the crowd who had come to see their heroes,” Saikia added.
