Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captaiun Rajat Patidar has shared an emotional message for the victims of the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede. The tragedy took place on June 4 outside the stadium in Bengaluru and ended up taking the lives of 11 people. Many more were left injured due to the stampede that occurred during RCB's victory parade.
The tragedy took place a day after RCB's IPL triumph
The stampede took place just a day after RCB had finally ended their 18-year wait for an IPL title by defeating the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final. Following the victory, it was announced that a victory parade and felicitation ceremony will take place in Bengaluru. However, what was supposed to be a day of joy quickly turned into a nightmare as total mismangement of the event led to a stampede which not only took multiple lives, but also left over 50 people injured.
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Now, Patidar has broken his silence over the tragedy and has shared a heartfelt message for all the victims. He highlighted how the fans have stood with the team through thick and thin and added that they have all been in his thoughts and prayers.
“Every time I walk out for RCB, it’s with passion, and that passion comes from you. From your love, your belief, and your unwavering support. You’ve always stood by us. And from the bottom of my heart, I want you to know that we stand with you too. You’ve all been in my thoughts and prayers. With all of us holding on to each other, we’ll find our strength again," an official RCB post read.
Meanwhile, RCB had recently announced a compensation of INR 25 lakh each to all the families of the victims. They also launched a new initiative titles, 'RCB Cares' to assure continuous support to the families of the bereaved families.
"RCB Cares is our long-term commitment to support, empower and elevate our 12th Man Army, through meaningful action. ▪ Provide support that goes beyond financial aid ▪ Build safe & inclusive environments ▪ Empower communities with real opportunities ▪ Invest in independent research on crowd safety ▪ Elevate fan memory into something permanent ▪ Build futures through sport" captioned RCB in a recent Instagram post.