Bengaluru, India – In a tragic turn of events following the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title win, a crowd surge outside the team’s home stadium resulted in the deaths of 11 fans and injuries to 47 others. The incident occurred during celebrations as thousands of people gathered around the Chinnaswamy Stadium to welcome the team back after their victory over Punjab Kings in the final of the 18th edition of the IPL.
In response to the tragedy, the IPL franchise has pledged one million Indian rupees ($11,654) to each family of the deceased fans and announced the creation of a support fund for the injured. The team had distributed free passes for the event on their website, but the overwhelming turnout led to chaos as some fans without passes tried to push through the gates and others climbed trees and the stadium wall for a better view.
“The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family,” the team said in a statement. “As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of 10 lakh (one million) Indian Rupees to each of the 11 families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident.”
Karnataka State Chief Minister Siddaramaiah acknowledged that the stadium was not equipped to handle the large crowd that had gathered for the celebrations. He stated that while the stadium’s capacity was 35,000, between 200,000 to 300,000 people had shown up for the event. In response, the government has promised to cover the full medical expenses of all those injured, whether they are admitted in government or private hospitals.
The tragic stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory celebrations has cast a shadow over what should have been a joyous occasion for the team and their fans. As investigations into the incident continue, the community has come together to support the families of the victims and provide assistance to those who were injured in the crowd surge.