BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia called the RCB celebration stampede “unfortunate” and blamed poor planning. He said better coordination, like in past events, could have prevented the tragedy that killed four fans in Bengaluru.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has called the stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB's IPL victory celebrations “very unfortunate” and said that better planning could have prevented the tragedy.
At least 11 fans lost their lives and several others were injured on Wednesday when a massive crowd surged outside the stadium, where lakhs had gathered to celebrate RCB’s historic IPL win after 18 years.
BCCI secretary condoles loss of lives
Devajit Saikia expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and wished speedy recovery to the injured. “This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy about their cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better,” Saikia told PTI, stressing that such large-scale events demand tight safety protocols. “When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There have been some lapses somewhere.”
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He added that the tragic incident turned what should have been a moment of pride into a painful memory. “After such a glorious ending to the IPL, this has been an anti-climax.”
'IPL celebrations well-managed in the past'
Saikia cited examples from past celebrations where large crowds were handled well. “There have been IPL celebrations in the past, like in Kolkata last year when KKR won, but nothing happened there. Same was the case when we won the T20 World Cup in Mumbai. There was a sea of humanity, but everything went smoothly.”
Praising the coordination between the BCCI’s security team and local authorities during the IPL final in Ahmedabad, Saikia said, “There were 1.2 lakh spectators at the stadium, but the BCCI had a dedicated team that coordinated with district administration and law enforcement agencies to ensure everyone’s safety.”
His remarks come as questions mount over the Karnataka government’s preparedness and the overall handling of the event, which has sparked widespread criticism and a political blame game.
