Fans attempt to enter stadium from various gates
BENGALURU, June 4: The celebrations for the RCB’s first-ever IPL win turned tragic on Wednesday as at least 11 persons died and more than 30 were injured in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium after thousands of RCB fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the team.
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“11 are dead and 33 injured due to stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru…More than 2-3 lakh people came, and no one expected this much crowd,” Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said at a press conference.
He also said that the stadium could only accommodate 35 thousand spectators. The Chief Minister announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident and a Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased.
The stampede took place when thousands of fans attempted to enter the stadium from various gates. Police had a tough time controlling the crowd, triggering chaos and turning a joyful event into a tragedy.
Police used mild force to control the crowd and bring the situation under control ahead of a special felicitation at the stadium for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Meanwhile, the felicitation of the players went ahead nonetheless as the stadium was packed to the rafters despite the chaos outside the stadium.
People were seen collapsing, visuals showed police shifting the injured persons and those who fell unconscious in ambulances to nearby hospitals. Visuals also showed some of those who were in an unconscious state being administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by those nearby.
The injured were hospitalised at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Shivajinagar and other hospitals. According to hospital sources, deaths could have been caused due to suffocation. There were also heart-wrenching scenes at the hospitals, where people were crying over the death of their loved ones.
“The stampede incident shouldn’t have happened, and the Government expresses grief over it,” Siddaramaiah said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the stampede as “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,” Modi said on X.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives.
“The crowd was uncontrollable, police were finding it difficult, so we had to stop the procession,” Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said while speaking about the tragedy because of which a planned victory parade could not take place.
The BCCI said the turn of events was shocking and the organisers should have been better-prepared.
“It’s most unfortunate, organisers should have planned RCB’s IPL-winning celebrations better,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said.
“When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions and security measures need to be taken,” he added.
Similar sentiments were expressed by IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, who said, “Whatever inquiry that needs to be done, the concerned authorities will do that. It was not a BCCI event. It is sad and tragic.”
The political slugfest also started soon enough, with the opposition BJP targetting the Congress-led government for not handling the situation properly.
The tickets for the hastily-arranged engagement programme were sold in a jiffy, but the fans crowded all the gates 12, 13 (main gates) and 10 (clubhouse entrance) with not enough security to control them.
The number swelled to unexpected levels around 3.30 pm, and it forced the police and stadium security officials to close all the gates to prevent the ticket-less from squeezing in along with the ones who had valid tickets.
“We came to watch our stars. I bought tickets for the function, but was not even able to enter the stadium. Police suddenly blocked all the roads and closed all the entrances to the venue, and suddenly they started lathi-charging near the main gate,” said Prashant Shetty, a post-graduate student who came along with a few of his friends.
“I don’t know what we did wrong. We were invited to the function, bought tickets, but in the end got beaten up and abused. Terrible day for fans like us,” he added.
According to a traffic advisory from the Bengaluru police, entry to Chinnaswamy Stadium was limited to only those with valid tickets and passes.”As there is limited parking facility available near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, those who are attending the event are advised to use public transport and Metro. The public is requested to cooperate,” it said in its advisory ahead of the felicitation ceremony.
Some reports also suggested that the sudden collapse of a temporary slab placed over a drain near the stadium due to the weight of people standing on it was the reason for the stampede. (PTI)
Major stampedes in India
Over 50 people were killed in stampede this year during temple celebrations, at railway station and at the Maha Kumbh.
On February 15, 2025, at the New Delhi Railway Station, a stampede broke out at the platform number 14 and 15. The incident killed 18 people and injured 15, mostly pilgrims visiting Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
Another stampede broke out on January 29 at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar. Thirty people were killed and 60 were injured.
Here is a list of some of other major tragedies that have taken place in the country in recent years:
* May 3, 2025: Six persons died and around 100 people were injured in the stampede in the early hours during an annual festival of Sri Lairai Devi temple at Shirgao village in Goa.
* February 15, 2025: At least 18 people, including women and children, died in a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station. They were waiting to board the train to Prayagraj for Maha Kumbh.
* January 29, 2025: Thirty people were killed and 60 were injured at a stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to participate in ‘Amrit Snan’.
* January 8, 2025: At least six devotees were killed and dozens were injured in a stampede as hundreds of them jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala Hills.
* December 4, 2024: A 35-year-old woman died and a boy was injured at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad in a stampede where Allu Arjun’s blockbuster ‘Pushpa 2’ was screened.
* July 2, 2024: More than 100 people, including women and children, were killed after a stampede broke out at a ‘satsang’ (prayer meeting) organised by a self-styled godman, Bhole Baba aka Narayan Saakar Hari, in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras.
* March 31, 2023: At least 36 people died when the slab constructed on top of an ancient ‘bawdi’ or well collapsed during a ‘havan’ programme held on the occasion of Ram Navami at a temple in Indore city.
* January 1, 2022: At least 12 people died and over a dozen were injured in a stampede at the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir triggered by a heavy rush of devotees.
* September 29, 2017: Twenty-three people lost their lives and 36 were injured in the stampede on the narrow bridge connecting the Elphinstone Road station of the Western Railway with Parel station of the Central Railway in Mumbai.
* July 14, 2015: Twenty-seven pilgrims died and 20 others were injured in a stampede at a major bathing spot on the banks of the Godavari river where a huge crowd of devotees had gathered on the opening day of ‘Pushkaram’ festival in Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh
* October 3, 2014: Thirty-two people were killed and 26 others injured in a stampede at Gandhi Maidan in Patna, shortly after the Dussehra celebrations ended.
* October 13, 2013: 115 people were killed and over 100 injured in a stampede during the Navratri festivities near Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia district. The stampede was triggered by rumours that a river bridge the devotees were crossing was about to collapse.
* November 19, 2012: Around 20 people were killed and many others injured as a makeshift bridge caved in, triggering a stampede during the Chhath Puja at Adalat Ghat on the bank of river Ganga in Patna.
* November 8, 2011: At least 20 people were killed in a stampede in Haridwar at Har-ki-Pauri ghat on the banks of the Ganga river.
* January 14, 2011: At least 104 Sabarimala devotees were killed and over 40 were injured in a stampede when a jeep crashed into homebound pilgrims at Pulmedu in Kerala’s Idukki district.
* March 4, 2010: About 63 people were killed in a stampede at Ram Janki Temple of Kripalu Maharaj in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district as people gathered to collect free clothes and food from the self-styled godman.
* September 30, 2008: Nearly 250 devotees were killed and over 60 injured in a stampede triggered by rumours of a bomb going off at Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur city.
* August 3, 2008: 162 dead, 47 injured in a stampede triggered by rumours of rockslides at Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district.
* January 25, 2005: Over 340 devotees were trampled to death and hundreds injured during an annual pilgrimage at Mandhardevi temple in Maharashtra’s Satara district. The accident occurred when some people fell down on the steps made slippery by the devotees breaking coconuts.
* August 27, 2003: 39 people were killed and around 140 injured in a stampede during the holy bath at the Kumbh Mela in Maharashtra’s Nashik district. (PTI)
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