New Delhi: As the tragedy during the RCB celebrations outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium unfolded, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that details of casualties at the stampede cannot be confirmed yet. When he was asked how many people had died in the tragedy, he said, “Can’t confirm anything.”
Reports said that 11 people had died as celebrations turned fatal outside the stadium. The celebrations were to mark RCB win over Punjab in the IPL after 18 years. In all, 27 people were admitted to the hospital.
Talking to media persons, Shivakumar said, “I have spoken to the Police Commissioner and everyone. I will also go to the hospital later. I do not want to disturb the doctors right now. The exact number [of casualties] cannot be told now. We appeal to the people to remain calm.”
Expressing his apology for the overcrowding at the venue, Shivakumar said, “We had arranged more than 5,000 personnel. This is a young vibrant crowd, we can’t use lathi.”
He also said that the event was stopped quickly. “We shortened the programme. It ended within 10 minutes. We are trying to make everything normal… lakhs of people came.”
Despite a strong police presence, managing the crowd remained a huge challenge. Karnataka police were forced to use mild lathi charges near the gates and at Vidhana Soudha to control the surging crowds. A number of fans scaled gates, trees, and fences just to catch a glimpse of the players.
As huge crowds were anticipated, the Karnataka government had earlier cancelled the open bus victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium, due to security concerns.
