In the wake of the tragic stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that reportedly claimed at least 11 lives during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory celebrations, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has issued a statement urging collaborative efforts for damage control and clarity on how the situation unfolded.
Speaking to ANI, Shukla acknowledged that government authorities had already cancelled the open-top bus roadshow in an effort to avoid overcrowding and any potential stampede-like scenario. However, he admitted that the crowd surge outside the stadium gates had not been anticipated.
"The government did stop the roadshow in order to avoid stampede or any such situation. But it was not anticipated that a stampede would happen outside the stadium. Everybody should work together on the damage control," Shukla said.
The incident occurred on June 4, as thousands of RCB fans swarmed the Chinnaswamy Stadium for a felicitation ceremony following the team’s maiden IPL title win, achieved just a day earlier. With free passes and celebratory fervor spreading rapidly across social media, crowd control became increasingly difficult, ultimately leading to a deadly stampede outside the stadium gates.
Leadership Accountability Under Scrutiny
Rajeev Shukla’s remarks follow a shocking admission by IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal, who said he had “no idea” who organized the victory parade, raising serious questions about the chain of command and coordination between BCCI, RCB officials, and state authorities.
"This can happen in any state and the ruling party should not be blamed for it. It should not be politicised. If this happens in a BJP-ruled state, we should not blame them. The crowd was huge, I spoke to the franchise, they also did not think that such a huge crowd would come and this incident happened suddenly. Efforts are being made to provide maximum help to the families of the deceased," said Shukla.
Political leaders, including members of the opposition, have since demanded an inquiry into the mismanagement that led to the disaster. Meanwhile, public sentiment has turned from celebration to grief, with many demanding accountability and improved protocols for mass gatherings in the future.
