A tragic day for cricket
It is perhaps the unkindest cut and beyond comprehension. It is a tragedy that has shaken the nation because of its magnitude. It was caused by a large crowd that had gathered to participate in a celebration by their cricket icons. But then, realistically speaking, it is not that celebrations have never turned into tragedies in India. We have had many instances of deaths stemming from stampedes created by die-hard fans of celebrities from the film industry out to see their heroes in life and blood. It happened at a venue where Shah Rukh Khan was to arrive, and closer home fans of actor Allu Arjun created a stampede when he was to visit Sandhya theatre in Hyderabad, which was having a special screening of his Pushpa 2 The Rule. This resulted in the death of a woman, while her young son is still to recover fully from the injuries he sustained because of the unruly crowd. Although there were no deaths, there was a massive turnout of fans when Salman Khan was in Hyderabad for the inauguration of an optical shop on a busy road in the heart of the city.
However, the tragedy that struck M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday afternoon is too tragic. In an unexpected development, thousands of fans gathered outside the stadium, which was to celebrate the maiden IPL title triumph of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), which they did in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Even though nearly 11 deaths (including that of a six-year-old girl) have been confirmed by the authorities at Bowring Hospital in Shivajinagar, and Vaidehi Hospital on Mallya Road, the toll may increase as some of the injured are in critical condition. The chaos created by the fans, who wanted to catch a close glimpse of their idol Virat Kohli and all RCB players, forced police personnel to resort to mild lathi-charge, which, ostensibly aggravated the situation with the fans running helter-skelter, while trying to exit from the gates that were kept open for the celebrations. Amid the grief and shock at the tragic developments, there are many things for one to ponder. It is a different matter altogether that the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar condoled the deaths and expressed their sorrow and grief as did the entire nation.
All hell broke loose after a brief speech by Kohli, and team skipper Rajat Patidar held aloft the glittering Cup, which was followed by a lap of honour around the stadium by the victorious team. How did this suddenly result in a chaotic situation remains unexplainable. Were enough precautions taken by Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for the special felicitation ceremony inside and outside the stadium remains debatable. Did they deploy a more than normal security cover in the vicinity, given the list of celebrities expected to grace the occasion? In a way, the entire episode exposes the chinks in the police armour and those of the civic authorities. The police wing was found wanting as it failed to control a crowd that was expected to be sizeable given that the local favourites were coming home with the coveted trophy for the first time in 18 years. This incident also exposes the absurd crowd management skills of the police and official machinery. The deputy chief minister asking people not to blame the police for this mishap is a sheepish self-defence tactic. All officials responsible for this tragedy must be made accountable and punished suitably, given that there have been quite a few deaths on a sad day for cricket.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
RCB's IPL celebration-turned-tragedy—who is to blame?
Death is used liberally in cricket as a metaphor. Bowling at the death. Reviving an innings. Coming back from the dead. Nobody ever expects it to stop being a metaphor, though. When that happens, the cricketing world stands numb with shock, grief and even fury. But the people who died in the stampede-like situation at the Royal Challengers Bangalore's celebration event won't be around to register the deluge of outrage and sympathy their deaths have caused. It was perhaps the strangest two days in the life of any cricket team or its fans. On June 3, there was a peak of euphoria like no other. On June 4, there was a depth of despair that couldn't have been fathomed. There are 11 fans whose families will never hear them smile, laugh, reminisce again. They had gone to the event thinking it was an extension of the happiest day of their lives. Everyone who was there at the event would have gone to celebrate. Everyone. And therein lies the issue. When it's to do with a franchise like RCB, 'everyone' is a massive number. Why the hurry to celebrate? There are questions that must arise from the tragedy. Who decided that a celebration involving the teeming public of a metropolis, less than 24 hours after a momentous win, was a good idea? Didn't anyone understand the emotional magnitude of the victory? RCB had won the IPL after 18 years, having come close several times, having had the players to go all the way often, but never winning? They had become the favourite punchline of IPL trophy jokes. And then to actually win it, was like deliverance. If it was so for players, it would have been doubly so for fans. The players get to pack up after a disappointing season and move on to the next tournament. They have to compartmentalise to succeed, because it is their profession. The fan has carried the hurt for 18 years. Did no one expect an absolute outpouring of fandom on the streets then? Perhaps most important of all, even if the franchise wanted to celebrate in that giddy rush of a first-time victory, why were the officials responsible for logistics and security so blase about letting the event take place? Why were they not forcefully saying it was not possible at such short notice? A 'no' from the authorities would have meant a postponing of the celebration. It would have allowed the initial adrenaline rush to at least dissipate. There would have still been massive throngs of people - but better security and planning would have been in place. The answers to these questions will be lost amidst the blame-game that inevitably emerges whenever there's a national tragedy. There have already been arrests, or calls to arrest, officials from the franchise, the event management company and those from the Karnataka State Cricket Association. These bodies were part of organising the celebration, sure. But could they have done it without official sanction? The other fallout of any national tragedy is that there is never one tragedy: there are two. First, is the tragic event itself. And that is followed by a howling lynch mob online who want their bloodlust satisfied by ritual sacrifice. So you have social media abuzz with trends that call for the arrest of Virat Kohli. You have editorials that demand victims' families be compensated X amount or Y amount. You have people call for the banning of RCB. I'd be willing to bet that none of those making these sorts of outrageous demands feel as much sadness for the victims as they feel joy in tearing down people for their own agendas. Because how is a Virat Kohli responsible for any of the tragic events, in any manner whatsoever? How does banning the franchise address why the stampede happened and how to ensure it never gets repeated? How does an internet warrior sitting at home determine not just what sum of money should be paid, but who should be paying it? The stampede, the loss of lives, and the injuries and trauma was a tragedy. It's important to hold people accountable for it. It's equally important to not point the finger at those who weren't central to the decisions that led to the tragedy.
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
India will replace the skill side of it: Ricky Ponting on team's transition from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting expressed that while replacing legendary India batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would be a hard thing to do in Test format, they have the quality and skill in their players to cope with this massive task better than other teams. The five-test tour of England, starting June 20 at Leeds and lasting until August 2025, is set to be a heavy one for fans and players alike. With senior stars Rohit and Virat having retired from the longest format of the game, the onus lies on the Shubman Gill-led new-look Indian side to prove themselves away from home in tough English conditions and ensure that Indian cricket is safe. Several newer talents and domestic cricket/Indian Premier League (IPL) performers like Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan have earned a ticket to the UK as a part of the main squad. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Crossout 2.0: Supercharged Crossout Play Now Undo Speaking in the ICC Review as quoted by ICC, Ponting said, "It is always very hard to replace players like that that have been around for so long, that have played that much Test cricket. But if any country can do it and do it quickly, India can because of the amount of young talent that they have." "I have seen it firsthand for 10 years around the IPL, and we have seen the emergence of (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and these sorts of guys who have come into international cricket with India and done really well pretty much straight away." Live Events "The skill side of it is one thing to replace, and I think India will replace the skill side of it easily enough, but the experience is the big thing that will be missing for them. So now, even with a young captain with Shubman Gill , they will still have some experience with KL Rahul and (Jasprit) Bumrah and these sort of guys." "But I think if you look at a rebuilding sort of phase, I think India can cope with it better than most other teams," he concluded. Rohit bid adieu to Test cricket last month, and a few days later, Virat bid his farewell to the format with a heartfelt note on Instagram. Rohit made his Test debut against West Indies in November 2013 and since then, Rohit featured in 67 Tests for India, scoring 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57, with 12 centuries and 18 fifties, his best score being 212. He is the 16th-highest run-getter in the format for India. After years of up and down performances, particularly away, the start of the ICC World Test Championship as a proper tournament revived his Test career as he went on to have a prolific run as an opener. In 40 Tests during WTC history, he made 2,716 runs at an average of 41.15, with nine centuries and eight fifties. His best score was 212. He is India's top run-getter, century maker in WTC history and overall at 10th among top run-getters. Whereas, Virat first represented India in Tests against West Indies in 2011 and in the coming years, became the country's biggest ambassador for the longest format, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 appearances, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties. He is the fourth-highest run-getter for India in Tests. He also made a massive impact as India's most successful Test captain, winning 40 out of 68 matches, leading them to numerous iconic wins overseas. As a leader, he developed a massive roster of fast bowling talent for India and was an advocate for top-level fitness and inculcated in the team a "win at all costs" attitude and ability to take on their opponents head-on.
India.com
30 minutes ago
- India.com
Rinku Singh's fiance Priya Saroj attends Kuldeep Yadav engagement, she calls him…
Rinku Singh and MP Priya Saroj spotted. New Delhi: Rinku Singh and Priya Saroj, who were seen together at Kuldeep Yadav's engagement ceremony in Lucknow, appear to have publicly acknowledged their relationship. Both were elegantly dressed in black; Singh in a sherwani and Saroj in a saree. The couple publicly debuted their relationship, appearing happy and comfortable together in photographs. Rinku and Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj attended a recent engagement celebration and posed for photos with the couple. Their joint appearance generated considerable fan interest. Rinku Singh and Priya Saroj are reportedly planning a formal engagement ceremony on June 8th in Lucknow. Previous speculation about their engagement is now clarified; the couple will officially become engaged on that date. Rinku Singh is taking a break from his cricket commitments following the conclusion of the Kolkata Knight Riders' 2025 IPL season to attend to personal matters. Priya Saroj's father, Samajwadi Party MLA Tufani Saroj, recently confirmed that his daughter and Rinku Singh have received their families' blessing to pursue a relationship. He clarified, however, that while preliminary family discussions have occurred, no formal engagement has yet taken place. Even though she was a newcomer in politics, Priya Saroj, at only 26 years old, won the Machhlishahr constituency in Uttar Pradesh by beating a veteran candidate from the BJP by more than 35,000 votes. The fact that Tufani Saroj is a former three-term MP and currently an MLA for Kerakat helps explain her political success. Rinku Singh's cricket career includes two One Day International matches and 33 Twenty20 matches for India, along with notable performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Kolkata Knight Riders. Rinku Singh has taken part in 2 ODI games and 33 T20 games for India and also played well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
