What began as a moment of jubilation for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL 2025 title quickly descended into tragedy near Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4. Amid rumours of free passes and confusion over a victory parade, a massive crowd surged toward the gates, triggering a stampede that left 11 people dead and 33 injured.
Shoes and sandals scattered on the streets the following day bore silent witness to the chaos. A video shared by ANI showed life returning to normalcy, though signs of the deadly crush lingered.
The stampede occurred outside the stadium where a felicitation ceremony was organized by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to honour RCB. The venue, built to accommodate 35,000, was overwhelmed as nearly 2-3 lakh fans gathered, many without tickets.
CM Siddaramaiah confirmed the tragic toll, stating, “We didn’t expect such a crowd.” Blame was also directed at conflicting announcements — with Bengaluru Traffic Police stating there would be no parade, while RCB’s team management tweeted plans for a roadshow just two hours later.
Poor crowd control, gate-crashing, and contradictory communication led to utter disorder. Many fans reportedly scaled gates and pushed through barriers. Emergency services were delayed as ambulances struggled to move through the packed streets, and police resorted to lathi-charge near Cubbon Park to clear the way.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar issued an apology and vowed corrective steps. However, the avoidable tragedy has spotlighted major lapses in event management and public safety.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Challengers_Bengaluru
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