After years of waiting, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally lifted their maiden IPL title. The celebration was meant to be unforgettable. It was but for the worst possible reasons. Thousands of fans came to celebrate with their team, but what happened outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was far from festive.
People began gathering around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium hours before the RCB celebration was set to begin. The turnout was overwhelming, far beyond what anyone had planned for. Eyewitnesses and local reports described scenes of mismanagement as passes were handed out on short notice, communication was inconsistent, and crowd control measures fell apart.
Amid the growing crush, panic spread as reportedly, 11 people died and 50 more were injured. Many fans were stuck near closed gates, unable to move, with some collapsing due to lack of space and air.
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Celebration Gone Wrong: BCCI to Frame Guidelines After Chinnaswamy Tragedy
Amid growing scrutiny over how the situation was handled, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia acknowledged the gravity of the incident. He called it an “eye-opener” for cricket administrators across the country.
"This is eye-opener and we have to think about what we should do in such situations. There will be a winner every year and there will be a celebration in their home city. So we have to learn a lesson so it doesn’t happen in the future," Saikia said as quoted to The Indian Express.
Saikia made it clear that the BCCI wasn’t directly involved in the planning or execution of RCB’s celebrations. However, he said the board could no longer remain hands-off when such events involved public safety.
"Yesterday (Tuesday), we had 1,32,000 people at the Narendra Modi Stadium. We took care of every minor detail about safety and crowd management, and there was not a single incident even though all the stands were full. There was proper policing and control. Something went terribly wrong today in Bengaluru but the BCCI has no role to play," he added.
IPL Governing Council Was Unaware of Victory Parade: Arun Dhumal
IPL Governing Council chairman Arun Dhumal said the board was unaware that any parade or celebration had even been planned in the city.
"We have taken note and will see that such incidents never happen again. We had no knowledge of any victory parade or any celebrations taking place in Bengaluru. We had no idea who organised it and how so many fans came there. We will look into the matter," Dhumal told The Indian Express.
He also defended RCB for continuing the celebrations inside the stadium, stating that the franchise was unaware of the chaos outside.
"The RCB management also had no idea what was happening because they were inside the stadium. As soon as we got to know, we spoke to RCB officials, and they told us that they were winding things up," he added.
The Bengaluru incident has shaken not just the RCB fanbase but the entire cricketing fraternity. A night that should have been remembered for celebration and joy has now become a case study in mismanagement.
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