Bengaluru Stampede: IPL champion RCB’s victory celebration turned into mourning; people kept falling on the ground, screams kept echoing

Pictures of the stampede in Bangalore – Photo: PTI

Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday that 11 people died and 33 others were injured in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium. A large number of people had gathered in the stadium to participate in the celebration of the RCB team’s IPL victory. He announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased. He also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

After the stampede at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, there was screaming and crying everywhere. The fans who had come to catch a glimpse of their players were cursing the poor arrangements made by the organizers. No one could understand how the atmosphere of celebration turned into mourning in no time.

Pictures of the stampede in Bangalore – Photo: PTI

Cricket lovers from all over Karnataka started gathering outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium from Tuesday night to celebrate Royal Challengers Bangalore’s dream of becoming IPL champions coming true. It was told that after the felicitation ceremony, there would be a parade of players in an open bus, but it was not decided till the last moment. The organizers did not decide on the parade till the last minute. Passes were mandatory for entry, while thousands of people had reached without passes. Some people were deployed to check the passes, but there was no arrangement to control the crowd. There was no one to help the crowd gathered there.

Pictures of the stampede in Bangalore – Photo: PTI

Eyewitness Inayat who came from Lingarajpuram told that when he reached Gate No. 3, there was no space even to stand there. People were standing in queues to go inside without passes. Then the gate opened slightly and the crowd standing outside tried to enter inside.

Pictures of the stampede in Bangalore – Photo: PTI

The gate opened after being pushed
An eyewitness said that as soon as three girls pushed the door to get inside, it opened. The crowd pushed them down from behind and started trampling them and entering inside. Many people kept falling one after the other and their screams echoed outside the stadium.

Pictures of the stampede in Bangalore – Photo: PTI

‘I lost my granddaughter’

14-year-old Devyamshi from Kannur had come to celebrate RCB’s victory with her mother, younger sister and other family members. After the stampede, her body was kept in Bowring Hospital. Outside the hospital, her distraught grandmother expressed her pain and said that there were a lot of people there, climbing over each other to get inside, nothing happened to the jostling crowd but I lost my granddaughter.

Pictures of the stampede in Bangalore – Photo: PTI

Someone said, Virat will come from here…people started running
A voice came from somewhere in the crowd gathered at Gate No. 1 that Virat Kohli will come from here only. The crowd suddenly turned and started running towards the gate. Due to the gate being closed ahead, people started stumbling and falling on each other. Most of them were youth and women.