Latest news with #ChinnaswamyStadium
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Top cricket official among four arrested over deadly stadium crush in India
Indian authorities have arrested four people, including the top marketing official of a cricket team, over the deaths in a stampede in the southern city of Bengaluru where the celebration of a match victory turned fatal. At least 11 people died and 56 were seriously wounded on Wednesday when a crowd of tens of thousands of fans swelled outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and grew unmanageable, leading to a crush. The celebrations for the Indian Premier League title's winner Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), which has been a runner up at least three times before and a fan-favourite, took a deadly turn within minutes. Locals said it was allegedly announced free entry would be permitted for the celebration in the stadium, causing the crowd to surge. Police officials said a top marketing official of RCB, Nikhil Sosale, was among those arrested. He was arrested from Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport on Friday around 6.30am when he was on his way to board a flight to Mumbai. His arrest comes after the Karnataka police filed a First Information Report (FIR), often the first step in any police investigation in India, against the winning team, an event management firm and the Karnataka State Cricket Administration (KSCA) under various sections of Indian law, including culpable homicide, voluntarily causing hurt, and unlawful assembly, among several others. The FIR stated that the state police had denied permission to hold the celebration. Mr Sosala also approached the Karnataka High Court, objecting to the manner in which he was arrested, calling the method illegal, arbitrary, and violative of his fundamental rights. He added that the arrest was made on the instructions of state chief minister Siddaramaiah without even the police carrying out a preliminary inquiry. Police officials said the arrests were made in an overnight operation by the Central Crime Branch and the accused are likely to be sent to the Crime Investigation Department on Friday. Naseer Ahmed, political secretary for the Karnataka chief minister, told broadcaster NDTV the crowd became uncontrollable and authorities were unable to make proper arrangements. Chief minister Siddaramaiah said the fans of the team superseded the authorities' estimates. "At a time of celebration, this unfortunate event should not have happened. We are saddened by this. The fans that showed up were beyond our expectations," he said. Thousands of people, some waving the home team's red flag, had lined streets around the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the players arrived in a bus in the evening, TV channels showed, with some climbing trees and the stadium wall for a better view. One policeman carried an injured spectator to an ambulance, while people gathered around another lying seemingly unconscious on the ground.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
RCB: Four people arrested in Bengaluru cricket stadium crush
Police in India have arrested at least four people in connection with the fatal crowd crush that took place in the southern city of Bengaluru earlier this Wednesday, 11 people were killed when tens of thousands gathered outside a cricket stadium to celebrate the cricket league Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) historic Indian Premier League (IPL) victory. Those arrested include personnel of RCB and the event management company which organised the senior police officers, including the city's police chief, have been suspended for "negligence and irresponsibility" by the government. A police official told BBC Hindi that more arrests are expected as the investigation to police, the people arrested were responsible for posting about the victory parade - from the state legislature building to the Chinnaswamy Stadium - on RCB's social media handles and website. On Thursday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that a police complaint had been filed and legal action taken against the franchise, the event management company, and the Karnataka State Cricket than 200,000 people reportedly turned up for the parade, although police had anticipated only half that number. The stadium, where the celebrations were held, has a capacity of 32,000 and was overwhelmed long before the team Karnataka High Court has also ordered a status report on the incident.
The National
2 days ago
- Sport
- The National
Virat Kohli 'at a loss for words' after RCB's IPL victory parade tragedy
Virat Kohli expressed his anguish at the loss of more than 11 lives during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory parade at home on Wednesday. The Royal Challengers had ended their 17-year wait for an IPL trophy on Tuesday after defeating Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. A victory parade was arranged barely 12 hours later in Bengaluru where more than 200,000 people turned up. A lack of clear guidelines and adequate crowd management resulted in a crowd crush at the Chinnaswamy Stadium by afternoon. More than 11 people died in the incident with close to 50 injured. Following the tragedy, RCB veteran Kohli posted a condolence message on social media. "At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted," Kohli wrote on Instagram. The Royal Challengers gave a statement, stating they wound up victory celebrations as soon as they were made aware of the events that had unfolded outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium. "We are deeply anguished by the unfortunate incidents that have come to light through media reports regarding public gatherings all over Bengaluru in anticipation of the team's arrival this afternoon. The safety and well-being of everyone is of utmost importance to us," RCB said in their statement. "RCB mourns the tragic loss of lives and extend our heartfelt condolences to the affected families. Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our program, and followed the guidance and advice of the local administration. We urge all our supporters to please stay safe." State chief minister Siddaramaiah has ordered an inquiry into the incident. "The pain of this tragedy has erased the joy of victory," said Siddaramaiah. "This tragedy should not have happened. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry, and given them 15 days' time." According to the chief minister, around 200,000-300,000 people had turned up for the parade. Soon after Bengaluru's victory on Tuesday, news emerged of a celebratory event on Wednesday. By morning, the franchise announced there would be a victory parade starting at 5pm, leading up to the stadium. They also said limited passes will be available for the venue. The local administration was faced with the task of a major public event at short notice. Generally, victory parades after big cricket results in India take place two to three days after the event, as it allows local police and administration enough time to prepare a plan and for fans to make necessary arrangements. The scale of the victory parade was shortened. However, there was a lack of clarity about access to the parade at the stadium, leading to a sudden rush of fans as gates started to open at the Chinnaswamy Stadium at around 4pm local time. The Indian cricket board said the parade was the responsibility of the franchise, and clarified that RCB management inside the venue were not aware of the events unfolding outside. "At the time of the celebrations inside the stadium officials there did not know what had happened," IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said. Mumbai hosted a far bigger victory parade last year after India's win in the T20 World Cup. However, at that time local administration had enough time to prepare as the team was returning from the Caribbean. Also, the victory parade was held over a larger area with detailed plans for security and crowd management along the routes and at the Wankhede Stadium in place.
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Stampede after cricket victory kills at least 11 in India
Eleven people were killed and scores more injured after a stampede outside a cricket stadium in Bengaluru, in India's southern Karnataka state, where fervent fans had gathered to celebrate the first-ever Indian Premier League title win for the city's team. Thousands of people had congregated on Wednesday in anticipation of the arrival of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team at the stadium to celebrate Tuesday's victory in the IPL final. The state's chief minister confirmed the 11 fatalities and 33 people seriously injured in the stampede late Wednesday evening. All the injured are out of danger, according to officials. "A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow," Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who only goes by one name, wrote on X. He promised compensation for the victims' families, and added that, ahead of the deadly stampede, "precautionary measures were taken by not allowing a victory parade" because of the fear of crowd surges. "People even broke the gates of the stadium," Siddaramaiah told local media. "No one expected such a huge crowd." Bengaluru police had sent out a warning earlier that they had not approved a victory parade, as thousands of fans continued to gather. Video filmed outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the heart of the city showed throngs of people clustered at the entrance, with the crowd so big that dozens of fans were seen climbing over walls and fences. The crowd surged forward, crushing several people including at least one child, Indian TV channels reported on Wednesday. Indian PM calls incident 'heartrending' Siddaramaiah told a press briefing that more than 200,000 people had entered the stadium, which only has a capacity of 32,000. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident "absolutely heartrending" on X. "In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones," said the tweet, posted by the prime minister's office. "I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery." The Bengaluru cricket team, which includes star player and fan favourite Virat Kohli, who recently announced his retirement from international test cricket, beat the Punjab Kings on Tuesday in the Indian cricket league final. It was the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team's first IPL title after three failed attempts.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'No mention of stampede, where is our humanity': Social media reacts to RCB celebrations continuing amid 11 deaths
The celebrations marking Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL title took a tragic turn on Wednesday, as a stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium left over 50 fans injured or unwell, with at least eight feared dead. The incident unfolded during a grand event organised to celebrate RCB's IPL 2025 triumph. As news of the tragedy spread, people across the country took to social media questioning why the celebrations inside the stadium continued even as chaos and suffering unfolded just outside. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Amid reports of stampede, Karnataka Deputy CM said that the special felicitation event was ended within 10 minutes. How social media reacted? "Unbelievable! Victory celebration broadcast of RCB parade continues. No mention of stampede. NOT DONE," read a post on X. Live Events "1 parade, 0 brains, & now 7 funerals. What kind of idiots plans a mass celebration without barricades, without strategy? This isn't a celebration gone wrong, this is an administration that went brain-dead," posted a user on 'X' "The most gut-wrenching aspect of the #ChinnaswamyStadium stampede is the shocking apathy shown—celebrations continued as bodies lay lifeless. Where is our humanity? These young Kannadigas died for nothing, without even respect in death. It's disgraceful, inhuman, and unforgivable. Those responsible must be named, shamed, and held criminally accountable.," posted another user. Bengaluru stampede claims 11 lives As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah led the first round of felicitation of the RCB stars on the steps of Vidhana Soudha, trouble was brewing close by which the administration failed to anticipate. Crowds had swelled outside of the stadium with little or no control on the movement of people. It looked like a sea of humanity with hundreds of thousands of people over a kilometre or two. The stampede took place when thousands of fans attempted to enter the stadium in a hurry from various gates. Police at the scene transported the injured to ambulances and shifted them to the nearby Bowring Hospital. Police stated that the ambulances were unable to move quickly to the hospital due to the overcrowding on the roads. The government of Karnataka had earlier cancelled the victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium, citing security reasons.
