Police in Bengaluru have arrested four individuals, including a senior official from major cricket franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), over a trophy celebration stampede that killed 11 and injured 47, according to media reports.
Four people, three from an event management company and one official from the RCB cricket team, whose victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this week led to fan frenzy, were arrested early on Friday morning, local media said.
Spokespersons for the team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Deadly Stampede
On Wednesday, Bengaluru were celebrating their win the previous day over Punjab Kings in the final of the IPL’s 18th edition, the world’s richest T20 cricket league. The team had given away free passes for the celebration at a stadium in the city, but said that numbers would be limited.
Thousands of people gathered outside the stadium, and fans without passes tried to push through the gates, leading to a stampede.
The franchise said later the incident was “unfortunate” and pledged one million Indian rupees to each family of the 11 fans who died on Wednesday.
Stampedes occur frequently in India, mainly at religious events, but it was the first time in 45 years that fans had died in a crush at a sporting event, the media said.
Gautam Gambhir Reacts
India’s head cricket coach Gautam Gambhir said on Thursday he did not support such roadshows and celebrations.
“Celebration is important. But more important than that is the life of any person. So, if we are not prepared or if we can’t handle the crowd in that way, then we might as well not have these roadshows,” Gambhir told reporters.
Police Commissioner Suspended
In the wake of the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswami Stadium, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a CID probe and suspended Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda.
The chaos erupted as thousands of fans swarmed the stadium, overwhelming the security arrangements. Preliminary reports suggest inadequate crowd control and poor coordination between agencies.
The state government has pledged compensation for victims’ families and strict action against those responsible.
(With inputs from Reuters and IBNS)
