Bengaluru RCB Parade Tragedy: 11 Dead, Including 3 Teens, Youngest 13, In Stampede Chaos – Check Names Of Victims-OxBig News Network

A sad stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium after Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) historic victory in IPL has taken the lives of 11 individuals, all below 40 years of age. The youngest one was 13 years old. Three teenagers and many in their 20s and 30s are among the dead. Besides, 47 others have been left injured.

The victims include Divyanshi (13), Doresha (32), Bhoomik (20), Sahana (25), Akshata (27), Manoj (33), Shravan (20), Devi (29), Shivalinga (17), Chinmayi (19), and Prajwal (20). Several had turned up at the stadium with friends to commemorate RCB’s IPL title following an 18-year wait. Although most victims were from Bengaluru, others had come from nearby districts to attend the party.

Overcrowding And Poor Planning Led To Chaos

The tragic accident happened because of inadequate crowd control, insufficient planning, and excessive crowd turnout. The venue was crowded with over 3 lakh supporters despite having a capacity of 35,000. Security forces were thin on the ground, as tensions ran high during a different reception held for the RCB team at Vidhana Soudha where distinguished officials like Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar were also in attendance.

In spite of the Bengaluru police first refusing permission for a victory parade, the Karnataka State Cricket Association and organizers went ahead. RCB confirmed the parade and made passes free at about 3:14 p.m. This created a huge rush of supporters trying to get into the stadium, with pandemonium breaking out as the entry procedure was ambiguous and on a “first come, first served” basis. Certain fans scaled gates, others fought through barriers, and the harried security tried to stem the tide. Panic set in, and most people ended up on the ground and trampled.

State Government Faces Criticism Over Safety Failures

The action of the state government has come in for severe criticism, with critics accusing the lack of proper safety measures. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, reacting to the situation, promised compensation to the families of the victims and free treatment to the injured. His remarks, however, comparing the Bengaluru incident to other accidents like the Kumbh Mela stampede that killed more than 50 people, have been severely criticized.

“Such incidents happen in many places. I’m not going to compare this one to others,” Siddaramaiah remarked, defending the government’s actions.

Opposition Demands Accountability

BJP leader Pralhad Joshi fiercely countered the Chief Minister’s remarks, emphasising the stark differences between the Kumbh Mela and the Bengaluru tragedy. Joshi accused the state government of avoiding responsibility by drawing comparisons to past events.
Why did the government go ahead with the parade despite police refusing permission?” Joshi questioned. “Even after the killings, the celebrations went on, and the Deputy Chief Minister was occupied with selfies. Nobody cared about the victims.” Joshi also called for a judicial inquiry, charging the state government with dealing with the incident in a callous manner.

The tragedy has also led to mass demands for higher accountability in planning large-scale public gatherings and improved crowd control in the future. As the investigation is underway, there are questions as to how a record crowd managed to gather without adequate planning and security arrangements.