Bengaluru

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 on Wednesday after thousands of RCB fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the team.

"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 scene after the stampede at the stadium

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 told PTI.

"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.

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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.