In the wake of the tragic stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed multiple lives and left several injured, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner Vijay Mallya took to social media to express his grief and solidarity with the victims and their families.
Mallya, who once played a prominent role in shaping RCB during the franchise’s early years in the Indian Premier League, shared his anguish on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Absolutely gutted to hear of the sad loss of life and injuries in Bengaluru. RCB fans who came to celebrate the IPL champions met a fate that they did not deserve. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the unfortunate victims. Om Shanti.”
The incident occurred just a day after RCB lifted their maiden IPL trophy, triggering massive celebrations across Bengaluru. The victory parade, which saw tens of thousands of passionate fans gathering outside the stadium, spiraled into chaos due to crowd mismanagement and insufficient safety protocols, leading to a fatal stampede.
BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla Responds To Bengaluru Stampede, Calls For Collective Damage Control; Video
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.
