11 dead in Bengaluru stampede as RCB’s moment of celebration is marred by poor planning, last-minute changes

Behind Wednesday’s stampede in Bengaluru, which occurred as thousands gathered to celebrate the IPL victory of Royal Challengers Bangalore, lies an apparent lack of planning, an underestimation of the number of fans who would gather, and confusion over the free passes available to allow entry to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Eleven people died and 47 were injured in the stampede.

Celebrations began on Tuesday night itself, when thousands took to Bengaluru’s streets to mark the team’s first win in its 18-year history. The largest gatherings were observed in and around MG Road, Church Street, and some locations in the Central Business District.

On Wednesday morning, the team’s management announced that they would hold a victory parade in an open bus from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium, roughly 1 km away, before an event at the stadium for which limited free passes would be available online.

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At 11:56 am on Wednesday, however, the traffic police announced that there would be no victory parade. Around 1:30 pm, the RCB team arrived at HAL airport and took a bus to the hotel before proceeding to Vidhana Soudha. By then, thousands had gathered around the Vidhana Soudha, where Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was scheduled to felicitate the team.

Some in the crowd climbed trees, while others found a way to the top of the Karnataka High Court building. Simultaneously, the crowd swell near the M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium. Around this time, the Namma Metro announced that the trains would not stop at Cubbon Park and Dr BR Ambedkar stations due to the heavy footfall.

According to the police, by 3 pm, around 50,000 people were within a 1-kilometre radius, and the number was only rising.

CM Siddaramaiah also indicated that the government had severely underestimated the number of people who would turn up for the celebrations. CM Siddaramaiah also indicated that the government had severely underestimated the number of people who would turn up for the celebrations.

According to officials investigating the incident, the crowd expected that after the felicitation, the open bus would head towards the stadium. As many did not have tickets to enter the venue, they hoped they would at least catch a glimpse of the cricket stars on the bus, unaware that the victory parade had been cancelled.

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When the team did leave for the stadium, it was in a closed bus.

Tragedy struck around 4 pm, when Gate 3 of the stadium partially opened and a crowd, comprising both ticket holders and those without tickets, attempted to swarm into the premises.

Inayath, a resident of Lingarajapuram and an eyewitness to the incident, said, “Everyone just flooded in. In the chaos, some people fell on the ground. There was nobody to control the crowd or offer help.”

Mahesh, another eyewitness, said people were falling on top of each other. “Immediately, we formed a human chain around those who were on the ground so that they could get up. A woman was given CPR and wheeled into an ambulance,” he said.

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CM Siddaramaiah also indicated that the government had severely underestimated the number of people who would turn up for the celebrations.

There were around 2-3 lakh people on the streets, including 1 lakh near the Vidhana Soudha, he said. “We, or the Karnataka State Cricket Association, did not expect such a huge crowd. The stadium capacity is around 35,000. We anticipated that there would be a little more than that,” he said.

Most of the dead are young men and women. The government has promised compensation of Rs 10 lakh to their families.

One of the bodies was as that of Devyamshi (14). A resident of Kanur, she had come to the venue with her mother, younger sister, and other family members. “I lost my granddaughter,” said the girl’s grandmother outside the mortuary of Bowring Hospital.

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In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, “The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery.”

MP and former CM H D Kumaraswamy said, “The primary reason for this massive tragedy is the lack of proper planning and complete failure to take precautionary measures. The state government, led by the Congress, must take full responsibility for this disaster.”

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