What was supposed to be a happy and festive day for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans in the city turned out to be a complete horror show after a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left 33 injured. RCB’s maiden IPL title win celebrations were marred by the unfortunate incident. Several are questioning the need for having such a big event within 18 hours after winning the tournament. While accountability is being demanded, former India pacer Madan Lal believes responsibility needs to be taken by RCB as well as they erred in judgement.
While the news of the stampede garnered headlines, the RCB management proceeded with the celebrations inside the stadium. Rajat Patidar and Virat Kohli gave short speeches before the event eventually wrapped. While RCB have made it clear that they cut short the celebrations upon finding about the stampede, the franchise continues to be questioned about the need for having such a big and lavish event within hours of winning the tournament.
It must be mentioned that this is the first time that a victory parade of such scale was planned in the IPL. Former India pacer Madan Lal, who was part of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad, questioned RCB’s decision to go ahead with the event so quickly, as they could have easily waited two to three days.
“It’s extremely unfortunate that 11 lives were lost, this tragedy should never have happened. It was completely avoidable. You celebrated in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night. What was the rush for holding celebrations in Bengaluru?” Madan Lal told news agency PTI.
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“The celebrations could have been held two or three days later, and RCB fans would have still shown up in full spirit. You could have given proper timings. Even if it was held after 2-3 days, the RCB fans would have still turned up. Had that been done, this incident might have been prevented,” he added.
‘Franchise owner made big mistake’
Madan Lal also blamed RCB owners, saying the franchise made a big statement by going with the celebrations so quickly. He added that the state government is at fault, but one cannot deny RCB’s role.
“Who is to blame – RCB or the government? If the state government had denied permission, the celebrations wouldn’t have gone ahead. So the government is definitely accountable, but RCB is also at fault,” said Madan Lal.
“The team was taken out for a public celebration just four hours after landing, what was the urgency? IPL teams have a huge fan following these days. The franchise owner made an error in judgment, he made a big mistake,” he added.
It must also be mentioned that the Bengaluru Traffic Police had denied the permission for a victory parade. However, as per reports, the RCB management kept trying to persuade to allow the parade to go ahead for a brief while from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Madan Lal, however, stated that BCCI had no role in the incident. “BCCI cannot be blamed. It was RCB’s responsibility, they should have worked together with the government. Who will look after the families who lost someone during the stampede?” he said.
“All that joy and celebration now feels hollow and ruined. There was absolutely no need to fly RCB in and organise a celebration in such haste. What was the need for such a hurried celebration? There was a big communication gap. Sadly, in our country, human lives continue to be undervalued,” he added.