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.
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
25 minutes ago
- First Post
Morkel defends under-fire Indian bowlers, says playing five Tests right after IPL a challenge: 'It's a real test'
India bowling coach Morne Morkel also felt the Jasprit Bumrah-led attack performed much better on Day 3 of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, and came to the defence of debutant Anshul Kamboj, who has been criticised for his underwhelming pace. read more India bowling coach Morke Morkel defended the performance of the Jasprit Bumrah-led bowling unit after the third day's play in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. AP India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his bowlers are struggling to make an impact in the crucial fourth Test against England in Manchester, but felt playing a five-match Test series in England right after two months of the Indian Premier League was always going to be a challenge. Morkel reacted to India's dismal bowling performance on Day 3 at Old Trafford, which allowed England to end the day on a commanding 544/7. Joe Root headlined their dominant batting performance with a majestic 150 while four others, including captain Ben Stokes (77 not out), scored fifties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For India, spin-bowling all-rounders Washington Sundar (2/57) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/117) lead the way with a couple of wickets each while the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah (1/95), Mohammed Siraj (1/113) and debutant Anshul Kamboj (1/89) collected a wicket each. 'It's a real test. We play three Test match series a lot and this is now our first time in a while we've done this with five. It shouldn't be excused, but in terms of conditioning, getting our guys conditioned and getting them ready for five Test series coming straight up after IPL, is sometimes an issue,' Morkel told reporters during the press conference after stumps. 'Much better today with the ball' The former South African pacer, however, added that the Indians bowled a lot better on the 'Moving Day' than they did on Thursday, when England had raced to 225/2 at stumps after following a 166-run opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. 'Much better today with the ball. I thought yesterday was a tough day for us in the office. We missed our lines, putting us slightly on the back foot, but I thought the way the boys responded this morning, especially Siraj and Bumrah with the ball, was good to see. 'And yeah, from there, you know, we tried our best with trying to create opportunities on a wicket played better than the first couple of days. Discipline and holding those lines were key. And that was something I think we missed on day one,' he added. Morkel also confirmed Bumrah and Siraj did suffer injury scares on Day 3, but were ultimately fine. 'Yeah, unfortunately, when we took the second new ball, Booms rolled his ankles going down the stairs. And then Siraj also, I think, rolled his foot in one of the footholds. But they seemed to be okay,' he continued. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Morkel extends support to debutant Kamboj As for Kamboj, who replaced the injured Akash Deep in the XI, clocking underwhelming speeds under 125kmph at Old Trafford on international debut, Morkel felt it was a learning curve for the 24-year-old Haryana pacer. 'Unfortunately, there's no place to hide. And, you know, we support him as best as we can, through conversations. But it's also for him, it's good learning. 'And I think everybody in the dressing room is constantly telling him to keep going and supporting him. That's part of international cricket, it's good to get a taste for it and know, moving forward, what he needs to do to play at this level. 'So, you know, it's through good conversations and just keep on supporting him. He can definitely bowl quicker,' Morkel added.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Ex-MI Teammate On Reason Behind Rohit Sharma's Test Retirement: "He Would've Known..."
Former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard spoke on former Indian Test skipper Rohit Sharma's retirement from the longest format. He believes that Sharma, having achieved a lot, knows what he wants for his career and emphasised that Hitman's pride in his performance will always be a driving factor. Sharma has announced his retirement from Test cricket in May this year, bringing down the curtain on a remarkable journey in whites. He will continue to captain India in ODIs. "It is a personal decision and he would have known why he [Rohit Sharma] wanted to do it. As an individual who has accomplished so much in cricket, he has it within himself to understand and know what he wants going forward. Again, pride of performance is always going to be there." Pollard told ANI. "He's still going to represent India in the 50-over format of cricket. I don't see him changing the hunger and desire not to score runs. He wants to come out and perform and do well," Pollard added. Pollard also expressed his joy in reuniting with former teammates and friends in the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. He highlighted the excitement of being competitive again and looks forward to these opportunities. "It feels great, again, reconnecting with your old teammates, old friends, persons that you don't see on a daily basis, you get an opportunity to be competitive again, it's just fantastic and we look forward to it," Pollard told ANI. West Indies Champions Team owner Ajay Sethi praised his team's players, highlighting their success in the IPL and T20 formats. He mentioned their wins against England and expressed confidence in their upcoming match against Pakistan. "They have been greatest player of IPL and T20 format, their records and their performance speaks for itself, this is my best team on the paper and they're performing, they won the England game and then we had the game against Australia, we have a big game tomorrow with Pakistan, I'm very confident that we will definitely go to perform and win the game," Sethi told ANI. West Indies Champions will take on Pakistan Champions in the 11th Match of WCL 2025 at Leeds on Saturday.
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
India batter Veda Krishnamurthy retires: Small town girl who made it big
Known for her aggressive stroke play and fighting spirit, Veda's final big appearance on the field came during the 2024 Women's Premier League, where she turned out for the Gujarat Giants in a match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
