The frenzied celebration in Bengaluru over RCB winning the IPL after 18 long years took a tragic turn with at least 11 people killed and 33 injured in a stampede. The chaos began after a crowd gathered near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for a felicitation ceremony of the team, held by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). A huge crowd had also gathered outside the Vidhana Soudha, where the RCB squad proceeded from the airport to meet with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the crowd was “uncontrollable”. “I apologise for the overcrowding,” Mr Shivakumar said. “We arranged more than 5,000 personnel. This is a young, vibrant crowd, we can’t use lathis on them.” Reports from Bengaluru show that Metro stations near the stadium also showed huge crowds coming out of trains and taking the stairs. People were seen climbing trees and sitting on branches to catch a glimpse of the celebration.
The Karnataka government had cancelled a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium, citing security reasons. The police said they have been controlling the celebrating crowds since Tuesday night. Meanwhile
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi criticised the Karnataka government for poor planning and crowd mismanagement. The incident broke out around 4:45 pm at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
