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Massive crowd surge at RCB victory parade in Bengaluru leads to tragic stampede, 11 dead, dozens injured
What was initially a joyous celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) first Indian Premier League (IPL) title became a tragic stampede on Wednesday night, claiming the lives of 11 individuals and injuring more than 30 along the periphery near M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Tens of thousands of fans stormed the streets leading to the Vidhana Soudha and the stadium to hail their cricketing idols. But poor crowd control and communication confusion at the last minute resulted in a stampede that took mostly young lives, including students.
Massive Crowd Overwhelms Security
According to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, although the stadium accommodates only 35,000, 2–3 lakh fans flooded the venue. “No one ever expected that kind of crowd. The gates were small, and things got out of hand when people started breaking them,” he stated. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar called the situation “absolutely uncontrollable.”
Ground-level police officers conceded they were overwhelmed. “We had deployed staff, but the crowd was out of control. Approximately 50,000 people had accumulated within a 1-km radius,” a top officer said to the media. Lathi charges were resorted to in some places, but the tight gates and suffocating pressure ultimately led to the stampede.
Confusion Over Parade and Passes Adds Fuel
Most of the confusion arose due to miscommunication. The Bengaluru traffic police made an announcement early on Wednesday that there would be no parade, but only a stadium event. However, at 3:14 PM, RCB’s official Twitter handle tweeted a contradictory statement: a 5 PM parade followed by in-stadium celebrations. There were free passes announced online as well.
The contradicting messages encouraged thousands of fans to converge at the venue, many of them not holding tickets, in hopes of gaining admission. “I came to hear that passes would be distributed at the venue, so I came with friends,” explained Rakesh Prakash, who is a software engineer.
Disorder Ensues Despite Warnings
According to a report in Hindustan Times, the scenario intensified quickly. Fans started gathering close to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at 2:00 PM. By 3:00 PM, the stadium was packed to capacity, and the gates were sealed. People, not able to enter, surged, and stampedes broke out near Gates 3, 12, and 18. A stampede had developed by 3:30 PM, with many being trampled.
Even as about one lakh people had accumulated at Vidhana Soudha by 4:30 PM to watch the felicitation of the team, the disaster had already struck. RCB players arrived at the stadium at 5:30 PM without knowing about the crisis happening around them. By 6:30 PM, early reports of fatalities started coming in, and the toll later mounted to 11 with 47 others getting hurt.
Probe Ordered into Stampede
The Karnataka government ordered a complete investigation into the accident. While the rescue operations were completed late in the evening, there was an outcry regarding the unpreparedness and management of the crowd in spite of a high-profile event being held.
This tragedy has overshadowed what was to be a historic day for RCB fans.