Deaths were bound to happen in such chaos.
Bengaluru tragedy: Administrators more to blame than sports fanatics
The tragedy that occurred due to a stampede in Bengaluru could have been avoided if the administrators of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the Karnataka Cricket Association (KCA), and the Bengaluru police and administration had shown even a little foresight. Their laziness and lack of planning became the reason for the death of 11 people and injuries to more than 70. According to non-government sources, the death toll may increase because the number of seriously injured people is 47. Some among them are reported to be in critical condition.
Just like religion, passion for sports also exists in every country around the world. Even western countries that are considered well-equipped with future-oriented planning often face violence and stampedes during football or rugby tournaments. Despite all precautions, major cities like London, Paris, Munich, Vienna, and Rome have repeatedly failed to handle the massive crowds of sports fans.
However, what happened in Bengaluru was the result of poor preparations and insensitivity by the RCB management and the Karnataka government. It is painful that while celebrations of victory were happening inside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru), outside people were being crushed under each other’s feet and bodies. Even though the police were present in large numbers, they completely failed to control the crowd. They did carry out a mild lathi charge and fired tear gas shells, but these steps proved to be more damaging rather than reducing the stampede.
The sequence of events started on Tuesday night when RCB won the Indian Premier League (IPL). The dream of Bengaluru to win the most prestigious and most expensive league of international cricket was fulfilled after a long wait of 18 years. The joy of this victory spread through the streets and lanes of Bengaluru in the form of celebrations.
The RCB management and the Karnataka Cricket Association (KCA) announced that the winning team would return from Ahmedabad to Bengaluru on Wednesday, where it would participate in a victory parade. First, the team would be honoured at Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat) by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and then at Chinnaswamy Stadium by the KCA.
Ideally, these celebrations should have been postponed for at least one day so that the sports fans’ enthusiasm could calm down a little, and the administration and police could have had time to make proper arrangements. But the greed to cash in on the moment did not let that happen. The RCB team reached Bengaluru in the afternoon. By then, five lakh people had gathered in the area of approximately one kilometre.
After being honoured at Vidhana Soudha by the Chief Minister, the team reached Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is located one kilometre away. Outside the stadium with a capacity of 35,000 seats, there were lakhs of people. The desire to see their favourite players up close and to be part of the victory celebrations turned into pushing, shoving, and violence. Deaths were bound to happen in such chaos.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a magisterial inquiry into this tragedy. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also criticised the inefficiency of the organizers and announced that necessary guidelines will be issued to ensure safety during future celebrations. But for those who have mourning in their homes, these announcements are meaningless.
It is unfortunate that the tendency to learn lessons from tragedies has still not become part of our administrative and governance mindset. This reality is an even greater tragedy than the one in Bengaluru.
