Atleast two students, one girl from Grade 8 and another dental student, are among those who lost their lives during the stampede at the RCB victory celebrations in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Divyanshi, a resident of Kannur’s Kanakashree Layout, the grade 8 student who was accompanied by her mother and aunt to the stadium was a victim of stampede. However, after being separated by the crowd, she was separated to be only with her younger sister during the incident. A distraught younger sister later informed the family about the death of her sister.  

So far, 10 lives were lost in a short span of time as fans gathered in unprecedented numbers at Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy stadium to catch a glimpse of players and the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy which the RCB clinched in a final match against the Punjab Kings on Tuesday night.

Celebrations in the air turned into an atmosphere of horror as 10 fans died due to a stampede near Chinnaswamy stadium where a sea of people had gathered starting around 11 am, much before the gates were opened for viewers.

Stampede was reported from gates 6, 7, 12 and 18 of the Chinnaswamy stadium. Many others who were injured in the chaos were rushed to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Shivajinagar in police vans as there was no way out for ambulances either.

The Karnataka State Police also resorted to a caning in some places around the stadium to bring the crowd under control.

The team landed in Bengaluru from Ahmedabad on Wednesday afternoon and was led by Rajat Patidar. The RCB contingent was welcomed at the airport by Karnataka’s deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar.

Even as the stage was set for celebrations at Vidhana Soudha, an overcrowded stage did not allow for media or fans who had gathered to get a glimpse of the players. Employees at Vidhana Soudha, assistants of ministers hogged the stage in a disorganised show, leaving several fans disappointed.

Criticising the event, BJP Karnataka said on X (formerly Twitter) said, “7 dead. Many are battling for life after a stampede due to the irresponsibility of Congress govt. No crowd control measures. No basic arrangements. Just chaos. While innocent people died, @siddaramaiah & @DKShivakumar were busy shooting reels & hogging limelight with cricketers. Shame on this photo-op Congress government. This is criminal negligence. Blood is on the hands of Congress govt.” 

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