Former Indian cricketer and TMC MLA Manoj Tiwari has called the stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium a heartbreaking and deeply upsetting tragedy that could have been avoided with better planning. His comments came after Wednesday’s terrible incident, where 11 fans lost their lives while trying to see Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) first IPL title celebration.
Tiwari said, What happened yesterday was tragic. None of us could have imagined this. Fans who came to celebrate would never have thought they’d lose their lives. While the celebration was happening inside, people were dying outside. Someone needs to take responsibility. He criticized the organizers for rushing the event without considering how many people would show up. Couldn’t the celebration have been held a day or two later? That would have given time to prepare. You need to think about the emotions and the crowd size.
He pointed out that after the Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL win in 2012, the Chief Minister back then waited two days before holding a celebration. That’s the kind of leadership that prevents such tragedies. I didn’t see that kind of planning here. Tiwari urged all parties involved — the government, police, security, and RCB’s management — to be held accountable. Human life should always come first. This isn’t just a mistake; it’s a failure of shared responsibility.
To celebrate RCB’s historic IPL win, thousands gathered outside Chinnaswamy Stadium to see their heroes, including Virat Kohli. The team received a special welcome from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before heading to the stadium. But what started as a celebration quickly turned tragic. Eyewitnesses reported that the crowd surged and chaos erupted as fans tried to get through the gates. Police struggled to manage the growing crowd, and there were reports of lathi charges to disperse people.
In response to the situation, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the government would cover all medical expenses for the injured, no matter where they were treated. We’ve told the Health Department to make sure this happens without delay. A Magisterial Inquiry has also been ordered, with the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District leading the investigation and required to submit a report within 15 days. Based on the findings, appropriate measures will be taken. Meanwhile, the Karnataka Police have registered 11 Unnatural Death cases related to the fatalities, but no FIR has been filed yet. The Cubbon Park Police Station is in charge of the situation, and investigations are ongoing.