RCB victory celebrations in Bengaluru turn tragic as stampedes leave 11 dead

A jubilant celebration in Bengaluru marking Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) historic IPL win ended in tragedy, with at least 11 people losing their lives in stampedes at two separate locations in the city.

The chaos erupted near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a massive crowd had assembled for a felicitation ceremony organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

In a separate incident, two more fatalities occurred within the Vidhana Soudha premises, where the RCB team had gone to meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah following their arrival from the airport.

Eyewitnesses reported scenes of panic as people fainted and were trampled during the rush. Visuals showed police personnel helping to carry injured and unconscious individuals to nearby hospitals.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar acknowledged the overwhelming size of the crowd. "I apologise for the overcrowding," he said. "We arranged more than 5,000 personnel. This is a young vibrant crowd, we can't use lathi on them."

Speaking to reporters, he added, "I have spoken to the Police Commissioner. I will also go to the hospital later. I do not want to disturb the doctors who are taking care of the patients. The exact number cannot be told now. We appeal to the people to remain calm. We shortened the programme; it ended within 10 minutes... Lakhs of people came."

Despite the cancellation of a planned victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium due to security concerns, large crowds still gathered across the city. Footage from nearby Metro stations showed masses of fans emerging and crowding stairways. At Bowring Hospital, ambulances were seen making repeated trips to transport the injured.

In some areas, people climbed trees and perched on branches for a view of the team. Police had reportedly been managing enthusiastic fans since Tuesday night in an effort to prevent disruptions.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned the state government for what he described as a lack of foresight. "... It's heartbreaking to see such loss because of poor planning and crowd mismanagement. The state government in Karnataka has clearly failed in its responsibility. Celebrations is one thing, but the state government without proper planning, without taking emergency services into confidence, took this urgent and unfortunate decision. This could have been avoided. The government is responsible for this and accountability needs to be fixed," he posted on X.

Earlier in the day, DK Shivakumar personally welcomed the RCB squad at the airport, presenting bouquets to each player and handing team flags and the Kannada flag to Virat Kohli.