Bengaluru stampede: How what was to be a victory celebration ended in a tragedy

After a night of celebrating the victory of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), thousands of fans started gathering near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and Vidhana Soudha, between which a ‘victory parade’ was planned, by Wednesday afternoon. Clad in the jerseys of their favourite team, there were people from all age groups, including parents with children and the elderly. The banners, music, and dancing in the crowd reflected the fervour of the fans … all until things started to take a very tragic turn.

Desperate to get a glimpse of the famed trophy and the players of RCB, the crowds resorted to climbing trees, compound walls and even roofs of buildings. It was at the stadium that things came to a head.

“My wife and I arrived near the stadium at about 2 p.m., and we were waiting near Gate 20. Sometime between 3 p.m. and 3.30 p.m., as they opened the gates for people to get in, the crowds started pushing one another to get in. In this frenzy, a child fell down a drain in front of the gate. While the security guards who could see it were screaming at the crowds to stop stamping the child, those who wanted to enter did not heed those warnings. The madness was such that people did not even bother about getting pierced by the fence when they were climbing over it to get in. Thankfully, the guards and the police somehow rescued the child,” said a traumatised Chandrashekhar Raju, a resident of Gandhi Bazaar in south Bengaluru, who had come to partake in the celebrations.

“After a point, my wife and I felt so suffocated that we decided to get home. There were some other women who were pleading with us to take them back with us. I lost my mobile phone, and I could see many people’s earpods and watches crushed on the ground. I saw so many people getting injured … I have never seen anything like it. It felt like a near-death experience,” he said.

Fans paid no heed

The footfall around the stadium had reached manic proportions by around 4.15 p.m. By then, the stadium had also filled to the brim, and the police made desperate pleas for the supporters who had assembled outside to disperse, but to no avail. Unable to gain entry, the crowd started banging on the gates and even managed to climb nearby trees and even on the stadium wall to jump in. While more than a handful jumped over, scores were caned by the police. But crowds continued to push forward.

Many supporters were pushed against the stadium wall and almost all held on to their dear lives, even those with some breathing space and a little elbow room did not miss an opportunity to raise slogans praising RCB, said an eyewitness.

The intense heat and congestion adversely affected people, as many fainted. Many suffered ankle sprains and multiple other injuries, said eyewitnesses. This also included children who were carried away by the police. Most of the ambulances could not navigate through the roads packed with fans.

Eventually, at about 4.30 p.m., there were reports that one person died due to suffocation in the stampede. Soon enough, the numbers started growing, and ambulances started blaring in as those with injuries were escorted to three nearby hospitals whose casualty sections were soon full. According to hospitals, a total of nine people were dead by the time they reached the hospital and two others died as treatment failed.

The police continued to urge people to get home as nothing is more important than their lives, but getting back home was also impossible due to choked roads and crowded metro. The trains did not even stop at the B.R. Ambedkar Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park stations for hours. While cab prices had doubled, there was also no way for cabs to reach the pick-up locations.

“We walked through Cubbon Park and reached corporation. From there, we booked an autorickshaw, and it was 8 p.m. by the time we reached home,” Mr. Raju said.

According to the police estimate, there were more than two lakh people in the area around the stadium on Wednesday evening. With so many people in one place, mobile towers glitched, and soon there was no strong signal on anybody’s phone, which exacerbated the situation.

“When there are so many people at one place, the network gets jammed by itself and thus, nobody can make or receive calls or even use the internet,” said a senior police official.

Victory lap

Even as the tragedy unfolded outside, the situation inside the stadium was in stark contrast, as fans erupted in joy after catching a glimpse of their favourite players. Virat Kohli, amid thunderous applause, started the programme with a short speech thanking the RCB fan base before Rajat Patidar, with the trophy alongside, spoke.

It was followed by a lap of honour around the stadium along the boundary ropes. However, the programme was cut short in view of the tragedy that had unfolded outside.

(With inputs from Shruti Tewari and Vaishnav G. Edappattu)