Death at a stadium
Life is cheap in India, it is commonly said. It feels cruel. It also feels true all too often. How true it is of what happened at M Chinnaswamy Stadium yesterday. Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans had waited 18 years for their team to win the IPL trophy. Their excitement was palpable even to those watching from far cities, Delhi to London. Dream fulfilled, mission accomplished, nirvana…the rejoicing messages were unending. Siddaramaiah to DK Shivakumar to HD Kumaraswamy to Vijayendra Yediyurappa…proud cheers poured in from across the state's political spectrum. Ee Sala Cup Namde! This year the cup is ours. That massive numbers would pour into any celebratory space was a no-brainer. Then came the stampede. And the deaths.
Of course these were entirely preventable. Bengaluru traffic police had initially said that the victory parade was cancelled and then said it had made 'preparations in case it happens'. If it had indeed done so, the stadium wouldn't have gotten packed far beyond capacity. Indeed, various authorities could have actioned steps to prevent uncontrollable crowds from approaching the venue. The Bengaluru metro was running overcrowded, for example, issuing frequent warning announcements. Social media was also full of live images and videos that should have initiated safety measures in various control rooms. Every part of govt seemed to have participated in cheering the RCB victory. Which part of it will take responsibility for turning the cheers into tears?
Just over the past year, we have seen stampedes take lives of Kumbh travellers at the New Delhi railway station, at a Dalit gathering in Hathras, a devotees queue in Tirupati, a Pushpa 2 promotional event in Hyderabad, and the list continues. Because basic crowd management is missing, ordinary activities are always on the edge of a deadly pileup. Govt doesn't do its job, and citizens pay with their lives.
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This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
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