BENGALURU: Scores of shoes, sandals and slippers strewn across Chinnaswamy Stadium Thursday morning were a sad testimony to the tale of heartbreak, panic, pain, and loss that transpired the previous evening.
Some 40 cleaning staffers collected around 150 garbage bags of footwear, some coated with dried blood stains. It was a haunting picture, especially the footwear of children. It told a tale of grim survival. Most of these were found near Gates 7, 18, 21, and 2. By the time the footwear was cleared it was midafternoon.
Rupa, 25, who was working near Gate No. 7 — one that turned into a deathtrap — said she had never seen anything quite like it in her five years on the job.
“Every time there is a match, we are called in, but this was unlike anything I’ve seen,” she said. “We found just about every kind of shoe — expensive ones, glittering women’s chappals and even a five-year-old’s slippers. What’s the point of being rich or well-dressed if you end up getting crushed to death in a crowd? All I could think of was the agony the victims must have gone through.”
Subuli, 40, and mother of two, who has been working at the stadium since 2015, said she was heartbroken by the scene. “When we came in the morning, it was like a war zone. I came across a small child’s slippers, and all I could think was, ‘what if it were my child?’ How would I feel if I were in that situation?” Besides regular staff, the stadium recruits cleaning staff on a contract basis. They were asked to clear everything quickly since the home minister was visiting.
Shashi S, a stadium staffer for the past 18 years, said: “We were here yesterday but were asked to serve guests inside. Around 4.45pm, the crowd outside began to grow. It was terrifying. We were scared since people were barging in any which way.”
Begum (name changed), a 22-year-old cleaning staff, said, “I tried to step out and was shocked to see a woman lying dead right there. Police told us to go back inside. We had no choice. Not being able to do anything was heartbreaking.”
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