Bengaluru: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL trophy after a wait of 18 years. The mood was upbeat in India’s Silicon Valley, as fans of the team headed to the Chinnaswamy Stadium to catch a glimpse of their heroes. However celebrations soon turned tragic as a stampede occurred outside the iconic cricket stadium, leading to 11 deaths and left 47 people injured.
Timeline of the incident
Here is a timeline of the incident.
The Bengaluru team won the IPL match in the Narendra Modi stadium, in Ahmedabad. Post the victory, the team landed in Bengaluru and went straight to the Vidhan Soudha, to meet the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. A huge crowd had gathered to cheer the winning team.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru was to participate in a victory parade, the route of which was between Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The victory parade of the team was scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm. The RCB team was to take a lap of the city, with their IPL trophy. Following the victory lap, the team would have gathered at the Chinnaswamy stadium, where they would be felicitated by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
2 PM
Thousands gathered outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
3 PM
Even before the Bengaluru team arrived at the stadium, the crowd swelled. This led to the road being blocked, due to the overcrowding. A huge number of police personnel were seen along the route.
3:30 pm to 5 PM
A huge number of fans queued up outside all 13 entry gates of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Initially entry was based on passes, but later the administration announced that entry was free for all fans. This caused chaos, as thousands gathered to enter the stadium.
As the crowd surged and people tried to barge in the stadium, barricades toppled and people fell upon each other. This is when the stampede started. People were seen trying to save each other also, amidst the chaos. Following the pushing and shoving, thousands of slippers were seen strewn all around.
5 PM
The tragic incident had caught the city unawares. Initial numbers showed that 3 people had died, but later it was revised to 11. Horrifying visuals emerged showing people carrying the injured on their soldiers. As tragedy unfolded outside the stadium, the Royal Challengers Bangalore team had already reached inside the stadium and celebrations continued.
Response of Karnataka government
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered an enquiry in the matter. He has asked for the report to be submitted within 15 days. Meanwhile, in the initial report submitted to the state government, the Director General and Inspector General of Police, Bengaluru blamed the “unexpected gathering of thousands of fans” for the stampede. The DG claimed that “all possible security arrangements were made”, even though the event was scheduled at a short notice.
According to the police, due to the unexpected gathering of the fans between 3:30 pm and 4 pm, who were trying to enter the stadium, a barricade broke and fans fell over each other.
Siddaramaiah expressed shock at the incident and extended condolences to the families of those killed in the tragedy. The CM said, “pain of this tragedy has also erased the joy of victory.” He said that the administration did not expect such a huge crowd. According to the CM, 2 to 3 lakh people turned up for the event, against the stadium capacity of 35,000.
