Virat Kohli spoke with profound sadness after the deadly stampede at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium killed 11 individuals and left several injured during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL win celebration. Terming the tragedy heartbreaking, Kohli posted on Instagram, ‘At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted’, as he posted the statement made by the RCB franchise.
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The accident took place at the celebratory function of the team at their home stadium hours after they won their inaugural Indian Premier League title. RCB beat Punjab Kings in the final, played in Ahmedabad, with Rajat Patidar guiding the team to a record victory against Shreyas Iyer’s side.
The RCB franchise, in their official statement that was uploaded late on Wednesday, stated, “We are shocked and anguished by the unfortunate events that have surfaced through media reports of public gatherings across Bengaluru in expectation of the team’s arrival this afternoon. The safety and well-being of all people are of the highest priority for us. RCB is saddened by the tragic loss of lives and offer our sincerest condolences to the bereaved families.”
Initially, RCB had organized a bus parade from Vidhan Soudha to the stadium, a distance of about a kilometre. But on account of crowd control concerns, Bengaluru Police refused permission for the parade. They did permit the principal celebration at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, though.
In spite of all those precautions, the party went out of hand. Thousands of enthusiastic fans invaded the 32,000-capacity stadium, with many trying to climb trees, fences, and other structures to get in. The gate jamming led to a stampede that necessitated the shortening of the event.
Only a cursory speech by Kohli and Patidar was possible before the situation became too risky. The pair managed a lap of honour with the trophy, but a full-scale public celebration was ruled out in the aftermath of the tragedy.
RCB’s long-awaited championship win, which was supposed to be a celebratory occasion for the franchise and the fans, was overshadowed by the loss of life.
