New Delhi: Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed sorrow and sent his condolences to the families of the deceased as he spoke about the stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru amid Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s IPL title celebrations on Wednesday. 11 people lost their lives while 33 sustained injuries in the tragic incident.
Asked about the incident during the pre-departure press conference ahead of India’s tour of England, Gambhir said he has never been a believer in roadshows to celebrate victories. The Indian head coach also slammed the organisers for the lack of proper arrangements, which led to the tragic stampede that cost the lives of innocent fans, who had turned up to catch a glimpse of their favourite team.
After arriving in Bengaluru on Wednesday, RCB players travelled on a bus from the Vidhan Soudha building in the city to the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a felicitation ceremony was organised by the KSCA. Lakhs of fans thronged the stadium to witness the celebrations, while thousands waited outside to catch a glimpse of the players. Chaos unfolded as fans tried to enter the stadium forcefully, resulting in a stampede.
“I was never a believer that we need to have road shows. When I was playing I had the same statement to make. Even after winning 2007, that we should not have road shows. I think lives of people are more important and I will continue to say that in the future, we can be a little bit aware of not putting on these road shows and can probably have it inside closed doors or in a stadium. It is very tragic what happened yesterday and my heart goes out to families who have lost their loved ones,” Gambhir said in the press conference.
Gambhir also criticised the organisers of the RCB title celebrations for the lack of proper arrangements before conducting the event. The India head coach said celebrations should not have taken place if arrangements were not in place to manage the crowd. He also urged the fans to be responsible while attending such gatherings in future.
“All I can say is we need to be responsible citizens. We need to be responsible in every aspect, whether being a franchise or anything. Every life matters. If you are not ready to hold a roadshow, you shouldn’t have done that. As simple as it can get. You can’t lose 11 people,” Gambhir added.
RCB announces financial support for victims
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered a magisterial probe into the stampede incident after addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday. RCB also released a statement, expressing their sorrow over the tragic incident. The IPL franchise on Thursday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of all deceased.
RCB also announced that they are launching a fund to provide financial support to those injured in the stampede. The eleven people who died in the stampede were all below 40, including a 14-year-old schoolgirl. The family members and the realtives of the deceased are still mourning their losses as political blame game continues over the tragic incident.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir criticised the organisers of the RCB title celebrations as he spoke about the stampede in Bengaluru where 11 people lost their lives while many sustained injuries. IPL Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
