Contributor,
Tilak Subramaniam
Tilak Subramaniam
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had to wait for 18 long years to dream of being champions in the recently concluded IPL. Of course, this year, the choice of auction players was immaculate, and the right combination of players clicking as a single unit ensured that they won victorious. It was an emotional day for Virat, who is perhaps the only player to be retained since inception. Thus, the end result was everybody played well, and therefore, RCB are truly the IPL champions.
However, on a more important and serious note, the fallout of this victory is on the bizarre incident following this when celebrations to honor the team were scheduled, on conclusion of the tournament.
A hastily organized celebration at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with the felicitation to the players arranged at the Vidhana Soudha didn’t go as planned. The necessary police clearances for the mega event were shrouded in confusion, as the organizers wanted the mega event to be conducted before the players returned to their home stations. With shortage of time and a cricket crazy fan base, RCB fans, had eagerly waited to have a glimpse of their heroes. The crowd started pouring in from the morning of 4th June itself at the stadium and at the Vidhana Soudha as well. Little wonder, the law enforcing authorities didn’t expect three lakh cricket fans to line up at the venue for a stadium that could accommodate roughly 30,000 to 35,000 spectators.
The end result was devasting. A reported weakened stone slab gave away, outside one of the entrance gates, and thereby, people started to trip and fall. Screaming people, piling up over one another, was the ghastly scene at the site, leading to utter confusion. Close to a dozen fans lost their lives and four dozens more with injuries, some of which were of very serious in nature, added to the tally. To add insult to injury, the event organizers continued with their celebration inside the stadium, even as chaos prevailed outside.
“As is usual, nobody took ownership for the injuries and loss of lives suffered at the venue. The authorities were simply over whelmed with no disaster management drills, and at best, the rescue efforts were more of an “on the spot reactive decisions”. It was certainly a poor show of any safety concerns for an event of such magnitude. It is a wake-up call for the authorities now to rectify and put in place an action plan to prevent such disasters in future”.
However, on a more important and serious note, the fallout of this victory is on the bizarre incident following this when celebrations to honor the team were scheduled, on conclusion of the tournament.
A hastily organized celebration at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with the felicitation to the players arranged at the Vidhana Soudha didn’t go as planned. The necessary police clearances for the mega event were shrouded in confusion, as the organizers wanted the mega event to be conducted before the players returned to their home stations. With shortage of time and a cricket crazy fan base, RCB fans, had eagerly waited to have a glimpse of their heroes. The crowd started pouring in from the morning of 4th June itself at the stadium and at the Vidhana Soudha as well. Little wonder, the law enforcing authorities didn’t expect three lakh cricket fans to line up at the venue for a stadium that could accommodate roughly 30,000 to 35,000 spectators.
The end result was devasting. A reported weakened stone slab gave away, outside one of the entrance gates, and thereby, people started to trip and fall. Screaming people, piling up over one another, was the ghastly scene at the site, leading to utter confusion. Close to a dozen fans lost their lives and four dozens more with injuries, some of which were of very serious in nature, added to the tally. To add insult to injury, the event organizers continued with their celebration inside the stadium, even as chaos prevailed outside.
“As is usual, nobody took ownership for the injuries and loss of lives suffered at the venue. The authorities were simply over whelmed with no disaster management drills, and at best, the rescue efforts were more of an “on the spot reactive decisions”. It was certainly a poor show of any safety concerns for an event of such magnitude. It is a wake-up call for the authorities now to rectify and put in place an action plan to prevent such disasters in future”.
