- For Indians, it is quite common to go overboard sometimes while celebrating, berating, objecting, expressing, and praising events and/or personalities. We are overtly passionate to the core about certain matters like politics, movies, business houses, celebrities, religion, caste, and last but not least, cricket. Cricket in India is considered no less than a religion, where everyone tends to be an expert in their own right. Such is the craze for sport and cricketers that they are considered at par, if not more popular than some of the best-known celebrities in the country. We are aware of the popularity, reach, and following of the extremely passionate liking for the Indian Premier League (IPL), too. Little wonder, the IPL is considered one of the richest sporting events in the world.
PC: News24
- The eighteenth edition of the IPL saw a new champion emerge in the form of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, lifting the most coveted cup for the first time, defeating the other finalist, Punjab Kings, in a thrilling encounter at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The whole country rejoiced in RCB’s triumph, and Bengaluru’s skies lit up with crackers in the middle of the night following the win. However, what followed when the triumphant team landed in Bengaluru in a celebratory mood turned extremely tragic and unfortunate when the teeming crowd swamped the stadium to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers. The whole episode that led to the tragic loss of eleven lives and injuries to many reeks of complete chaos and sheer lack of planning.
PC: Hindustan Times
- It is commonsense knowledge to gauge the euphoria surrounding the RCB’s victory among the fans who were overjoyed, wanting desperately to welcome their heroes. Effective crowd management in our country is still a work in progress, as amply demonstrated by several incidents in the last couple of years that have led to a loss of innocent lives. The organisers in this case – the RCB management and the event management company, alongside KSCA and the Karnataka government- should have sat down and planned meticulously, anticipating the crowd surge. It’s plain obvious that the celebrations could have happened later when the euphoria and craze of the fans subsided. There was no need to celebrate barely hours after the win, you see.
PC: MSN
- There are unconfirmed reports of how the police had advised the state government not to allow the event to take place without having in place adequate crowd control measures. In hindsight, the police should have categorically informed the state government not to go ahead with the celebrations. The way the political class and their kin were jostling to get photographed with the RCB cricketers on the steps of Vidhana Soudha revealed how the people in power wanted to milk the occasion. That the celebrations were undertaken in the stadium even as people were dying because of the stampede makes one feel nauseated. The responsibility and accountability for the mishap should start with the state government. Sacrificing scapegoats will not suffice.
