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Former India cricketer and TMC MLA Manoj Tiwari opened up on the stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where 11 fans lost their lives during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title celebration. He believes that the tragedy could have been avoided with better planning and foresight.
"What happened yesterday was an extremely tragic incident. None of us could have imagined this. The fans who came to celebrate the victory would never have dreamt that they'd lose their lives. While celebrations were going on inside, people were dying outside. Someone must take responsibility," Tiwari told IANS.
Manoj, who was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during his playing days, slammed the authorities and organisers for rushing the event without assessing the risks of a massive public turnout.
"Couldn't the celebration have been held after a day or two? That would have given enough time to prepare properly. You have to anticipate the scale of emotion and the number of people who would come," he said.
Recalling how celebrations were handled after Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL win in 2012, Tiwari said, "Our Chief Minister back then, Manohar Rao, waited two days before hosting a celebration. That's the kind of experienced leadership that prevents tragedies. I did not see such planning or foresight here."
Tiwari also called for accountability from all stakeholders - the state government, police, security personnel and RCB's management.
"Human life must always come before celebrations. This is not just a lapse; it is a failure of collective responsibility."
The tragedy happened when nearly two and a half lakh people thronged the stadium to catch a glimpse of RCB cricketers after their maiden IPL trophy victory. The resultant chaos led to the death of 11 people, besides leaving several others injured on Wednesday. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, before heading to the stadium.
The FIR has been lodged against RCB, Karnataka State Cricket Association, and event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks.
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