‘I saw three girls fall’: Eyewitnesses recall Bengaluru stampede horror
A stampede broke out outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL celebrations, leaving several people injured and 11 dead. The crowd grew too large, causing chaos near the gates.
Speaking about the stampede, Mahesh, who claimed to be an eyewitness, told ANI, “Many people had come to see Virat Kohli and the RCB team. A lot of girls tried to enter M Chinnaswamy Stadium by pushing the gate. I saw three girls fall, but no one rescued them. The police were also helpless because of the large crowd.”
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Another eyewitness said, “The seats and all are full; that is the reason they are not letting us in. We want to go back, but we are not allowed to go back. The gates are crowded with people, so even if they open the gates, more people will come inside. Many are injured, so I think that’s why the gates remain closed.”
Visuals from ANI showed a car damaged after fans climbed over it outside Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where thousands had gathered to see the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association has organised a special felicitation ceremony for all RCB players here today.
Read: What caused chaos outside Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB celebrations?
BJP blames Karnataka government for stampede
Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra blamed the state government for the stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations, citing lack of preparation and safety measures.
He called for a judicial investigation into the tragedy that killed over people and injured many.
“The state government should take full responsibility for this tragedy. When the whole country and Karnataka were celebrating RCB’s victory, the state government’s haste to hold a victory rally without any prior preparations led to this tragedy,” said BY Vijayendra.
“The state government never cared about prior preparations. They were more interested in publicity. This resulted in the death of more than 11 people. Some people are in ICU. I spoke to some victims, there was no police inside, no ambulance facility. The CM should send the matter for judicial investigation,” he added.
