RCB Victory Celebration turns to Stampede taking Lives; BCCI Secretary Calls Tragedy 'Unfortunate', Cites Lapses in Planning

The celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's long-awaited IPL title win turned tragic on Wednesday, as a stampede outside Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed the lives of at least seven fans and left several others injured.

At the moment, various reports have indicated that the loss of lives can increase in the coming hours, but it remains to be seen.

The victory, which ended RCB's 18-year wait for an IPL trophy, was supposed to usher in unbridled joy for the team and its supporters. However, the festive mood across the city quickly gave way to grief as lakhs of fans converged outside the stadium in chaotic scenes that local authorities failed to control.

Commenting on the incident, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia termed the tragedy "very unfortunate" and suggested the situation could have been avoided with better planning.

"It is very unfortunate. This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for their cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. I wish early recovery of the injured," said Saikia in a statement to PTI.

He emphasized the importance of anticipating large crowds for events of such magnitude and ensuring all safety protocols are in place.

"When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There have been some lapses somewhere. After such a glorious ending to the IPL, this has been an anti-climax," he remarked.

Saikia also pointed to past instances where crowd management was handled more effectively, including last year's IPL celebrations in Kolkata after KKR's title win and the post-T20 World Cup euphoria in Mumbai.

"There have been IPL celebrations in the past as well, like in Kolkata last year when KKR won but nothing happened there. Same was the case when we won the T20 World Cup. There was a sea of humanity in Mumbai but nothing happened. Police and local authorities worked in tandem to ensure smooth conduct. I hope nothing more untoward happens," he added.

Recalling the smooth conduct of the IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad just a day earlier, Saikia underlined the role of meticulous planning and coordination.

"Even yesterday in Ahmedabad, during the IPL final, there were 120,000 people at the stadium but BCCI has a dedicated team which has done elaborate planning in coordination with local district administration and law-enforcing authorities to ensure that safety and security of the spectators," he added.

The tragedy has sparked serious questions about crowd control and event planning in high-stakes cricket celebrations, placing a sombre note on what was meant to be a historic moment for RCB and its fanbase.