Bengaluru. June 4: After 11 people were killed and 33 injured in a stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia termed the incident “very unfortunate” and said the event should have been planned more carefully.
“This is the negative side of popularity. People are crazy for their cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better,” Saikia told PTI on Wednesday. “My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. I wish a speedy recovery to all those injured.”
Lakhs of fans had gathered outside the stadium to celebrate RCB’s historic first IPL title win after an 18-year wait. The overwhelming crowd, combined with inadequate control measures, led to widespread chaos and tragedy.
Saikia described the tragedy as an anti-climax to what should have been a joyous moment in Indian cricket. “After such a glorious ending to the IPL, this is deeply saddening,” he said. “There have been victory parades before — like KKR’s celebrations in Kolkata last year — and nothing untoward happened.”
He also cited the example of India’s T20 World Cup triumph celebrations in Mumbai. “There was a sea of humanity on the streets, but everything went smoothly because the police and local authorities worked in tandem,” he said. “When you organise an event of this magnitude, safety and security planning must be foolproof. There were lapses here.”
Saikia pointed out how, just a day before the stampede, over 1.2 lakh spectators safely attended the IPL final in Ahmedabad. “BCCI has a dedicated team that works closely with the local administration and law enforcement to ensure safety. That level of coordination is essential,” he added.
The BCCI official urged all future organisers to prioritise crowd management, particularly during high-profile celebrations. “I hope nothing more untoward happens. We must learn from this incident and ensure such tragedies are never repeated,” he said.
The statement adds to growing scrutiny over the planning and crowd control measures around Tuesday’s celebration, which Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has already ordered a magisterial inquiry into.
