Thousands converged outside the stadium as police struggled to take control of the situation, resorting to mild use of force as well. That did little to discourage the people, many of whom could be seen pressed against the stadium’s entrance gate, desperate to get in.
The death toll is expected to rise as many of the seriously injured have been hospitalised at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Shivajinagar and Vydehi Super Speciality Hospital here.
Police used mild force to control the crowd and bring the situation under control ahead of a special felicitation at the stadium for the RCB team organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
According to eye-witnesses, fans thronged the venue of felicitation and visuals showed police shifting the injured and those who fell unconscious in ambulances to nearby hospitals. Visuals also showed some of those who were in an unconscious state being administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation by those nearby.
Police had a tough time in crowd management as a large number of cricket enthusiasts tried to gain entry, at the same time, into the stadium.
According to a traffic advisory from the Bengaluru police, entry to Chinnaswamy stadium was limited to only those with valid tickets and passes. “As there is limited parking facility available near the Chinnaswamy stadium, those who are attending the event are advised to use public transport and Metro. The public is requested to cooperate,” it had said.
“Crowd was uncontrollable, police were finding it difficult, so we had to stop procession,” Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said while speaking about the tragedy because of which a planned victory parade could not take place.
The BCCI said the turn of events was shocking and the organisers should have been better prepared.
“It’s most unfortunate, organisers should have planned RCB’s IPL-winning celebrations better,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.
“When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions and security measures need to be taken,” he added.
The political slugfest also started soon enough with the opposition BJP targeting the Congress-led government for not handling the situation properly.
However, inside the Chinnaswamy, the show went on with players delivering speeches to acknowledge each other and the fans amid thumping music and bursting of firecrackers as well.
“It’s for all of you – the fans, the people of this wonderful city, people who’ve supported RCB through thick and thin. I’ve never seen any fan base of any team in the world like this franchise,” said Virat Kohli, who was the cynosure of all eyes after ticking another box in his illustrious career.
This was after the Rajat Patidar-led team landed in Bengaluru in the afternoon, received by Shivakumar at the airport. RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in the IPL final at Ahmedabad on Tuesday to clinch their maiden title in 18 years.
Patidar, like Kohli, also waxed eloquent about RCB’s loyal fans, considered by many as the most passionate alongside the ones who adore Chennai Super Kings.
“You all deserve the trophy. We all love you,” Patidar said at the felicitation ceremony.
The scenes leading up to the tragedy reminded one of the historic welcome given to the T20 World Cup-winning Indian squad by Mumbai in July last year. However, things went haywire here.
The much-anticipated open-top bus parade, which was allowed to proceed by Siddaramaiah from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium, could not take place as crowd became unmanageable for the police.
The Bengaluru Traffic Police had already discouraged such a plan citing the congestion on the route.
But outside the Chinnaswamy stadium, fans jostled to sneak inside and it ultimately turned into a tragedy. Thousands of fans were also seen waiting outside the Vidhana Soudha to cheer the players.
In visuals shared online, Kohli could be seen holding the trophy and watching in awe the thousands who lined up the team’s bus route, cheerfully waving at the convoy.
