BENGALURU: What was meant to be a jubilant celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL title turned tragic on Wednesday, as a massive crowd surged outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, led to a deadly stampede. The stadium, which has a seating capacity of just 35,000, was surrounded by an estimated three lakh people, exceeding 10 times it's capacity.
The stampede occurred as fans gathered in huge numbers to witness the team’s victory parade, with many arriving hours in advance. In the chaos that followed, at least 11 people lost their lives and 75 others were injured.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah said that neither the state government nor the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had anticipated the overwhelming crowd that led to the stampede near M Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory celebrations.
"The size of the crowd near the stadium was totally unexpected. Neither the government nor KSCA officials had an inkling. While the stadium has a capacity of 35,000 seats, KSCA officials expected a slightly more turnout than usual. But, two to three lakh people had gathered there,” he said at a press conference.
He noted that no untoward incident occurred at the Vidhana Soudha, where over one lakh people had assembled to witness the felicitation of the RCB team. "The stampede happened due to the sudden and unanticipated congregation near the stadium, not at Vidhana Soudha," he clarified.
Siddaramaiah attributed the misjudgment partly to the late conclusion of the IPL final on Tuesday night. “Since the final ended past midnight, the KSCA didn’t expect such a huge crowd the next day. The government also hosted a celebratory event,” he said.
The state govt announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to each of the victim's families and free treatment to the injured. Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each of the bereaved families.
However, senior police officials maintained that the state government had been warned about the the risks of holding a victory parade and celebrations at such short notice, just hours after RCB had clinched the title.