Bengaluru, Jun 4 (PTI) A mound of shoes and sandals lying here and there and some pieces of what appeared to be sports apparel and merchandise were the telltale signs of the stampede that broke out in the immediate vicinity of the Chinnaswamy stadium here, leading to the deaths of 11 persons and injuries to 33 enthusiasts.
As the celebratory mood kicked in to commemorate the first ever IPL title win by the RCB, massive crowds of young men and women, touching lakhs, gathered just outside the stadium.
Many youths managed to climb branches of huge trees and frenzied young men clung to poles and even scaled huge walls to gain entry into the stadium to catch a glimpse of their stars, all at the same time.
Nothing could deter them and crowds continued to swell and the chants of ‘RCB’ in the busy area brought in an atmosphere of carnival on the streets of Bengaluru.
As jubilation intensified, the crowds turned frantic and were uncontrollable, steadily leading to a stampede. Soon, wails and shouting began to be heard and even before one could realize what was happening, people fell down and became unconscious, who had to be rushed to nearby hospitals.
While all this was happening, many youths still chose to continue to sit on compound walls near the Saint Mark’s Cathedral and not even the continuous blare of sirens of police vehicles could stop them from shouting to cheer their beloved cricket team.
Police men and women though did their best to regulate crowd in and around the stadium area, they were heavily outnumbered as the maiden win became a youth cultural extravaganza. Appeals from the police informing people that “stadium is full…stadium is full,” and urging them to disperse fell on deaf ears. PTI VGN VGN KH
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