The celebratory mood in the city turned sombre a day after RCB ended their 18-year wait for an IPL title. Lakhs of fans gathered outside the stadium, which the police could not control, leading to utter chaos.
“It is very unfortunate. This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for their cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. I wish early recovery of the injured,” said Saikia.
“After such a glorious ending to the IPL, this has been an anti-climax. There have been IPL celebrations in the past as well, like in Kolkata last year when KKR won but nothing happened there.”
Saikia also cited the examples of the celebrations in Mumbai following India’s T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados.
“Even yesterday in Ahmedabad, during the IPL final, there were 120,000 people at the stadium but BCCI has a dedicated team which has done elaborate planning in coordination with local district administration and law-enforcing authorities to ensure safety and security of the spectators,” Saikia added.
