Overcrowding, free passes and miscommunication caused stampede: Police

Bengaluru: The tragic stampede at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium was likely caused by overcrowding, confusion over event announcements, free passes, and limited seating capacity, reported PTI.

According to police, the situation escalated when fans without valid tickets tried to force their way into the stadium alongside legitimate ticket holders, leading to a sudden surge at the entry points. Police sources said the initial disorder quickly spiralled into a deadly stampede.

In the scramble, several individuals either got trampled after falling or were injured while attempting to climb over barricades and gates to enter the premises.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirmed the toll, saying, “11 people died and 33 were injured following the stampede near the stadium.” Most victims were young, including both men and women, with a significant number of students among them. The deceased are Divyanshi (14), Akshata (26), Bhumik (19), Fahana (23), Chinmayi Shetty (19), Manoj Kumar (20), Shravan (20), Shivu (17), Poonachandra (20), Kamakshi Devi (29), Prajwal (22)

Commenting on the crowd, Siddaramaiah said, "The stadium has a capacity for 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people had come. The match happened last evening (Tuesday) and today this event was organised by the cricket association, so no one had expected that so many people would come. The expectation was the equivalent number of people for the stadium's capacity or slightly more than that may gather."

Elaborating on the chaos, he added, "There are small gates. The people entered through the gates. They have broken the gates also, so a stampede has taken place. Nobody had expected so many people to come. Prima facie looks like that. I'm not saying nothing has happened. The inquiry will bring out facts."

One major factor contributing to the confusion was the inconsistent communication regarding the event. At 11.56 am on Wednesday, Bengaluru Traffic Police issued an advisory stating that only a felicitation ceremony would be held inside the stadium and no victory parade was planned.

However, around 3.14 pm, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made a contradictory announcement on X: “Victory Parade will be followed by celebrations at the Chinnaswamy stadium. We request all fans to follow guidelines set by police and other authorities so that everyone can enjoy the roadshow peacefully. Free passes (limited entry) available on shop.royalchallengers.com.”

This led to uncertainty among fans, many of whom turned up in huge numbers at the venue. Police said despite repeated instructions that only those with tickets would be permitted, large crowds gathered at the gates, with some forcibly pushing their way in.

“While those with valid tickets were allowed to enter the stadium for celebrations, many tried to squeeze with those who had free passes and tickets. In that bid to get entry, some of them also started pushing each other,” said a police officer.

Authorities estimated that nearly 50,000 people had assembled within a one-kilometre radius of the stadium, with numbers continuing to rise rapidly.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the crowd far exceeded expectations. While over one lakh people had also gathered in front of Vidhana Soudha without incident, the tragedy unfolded at the stadium.

"No one had expected it, neither the cricket association nor the government," he said. To control the surging crowd, police resorted to mild force, and some video clips showed officers using lathis to disperse attendees.

Following the incident, Bengaluru Metro authorities suspended stops at Cubbon Park and Dr B R Ambedkar stations, citing the overwhelming crowd presence.