June 3, 2025, a day that all RCB fans across the globe will remember forever for the team’s first-ever trophy in 18 years, but the next day, June 4, 2025, turned out to be a disaster in disguise. What was supposed to be a victory celebration in the home city for RCB ended up with 11 youngsters, including a kid, losing their lives due to a stampede and leaving more than 50 injured.
Everyone is busy pointing fingers in all possible directions at what happened. As usual, the media are being their lunatic best, making the best “breaking news” out of the situation. Politicising any issues is in the DNA anyway. The press and the opposition are just a click away from pouncing on anything the ruling party does, and not that the ruling party does anything sensible to come out of a situation clean. Everyone wants their share of whatever is happening in society, whether good or bad.
The elementary question is, what was the hurry to announce this celebration and parade on such short notice without any security and safety arrangements being made? Taking an extra day or two, or maybe having this on a weekend, would have made more people happy and saved many innocent lives. And give ample time for the BCP/BTP to plan and execute it.
What’s even more concerning is that RCB management proceeded with announcing the parade plan and time details without obtaining the necessary approvals or permissions from the government and the police. Now, with the stampede happening at the Stadium, they continued with the plan for the event celebration in the stadium, which was a follow-up to the felicitation program at Vidhana Soudha. I’m wondering how insensitive and irresponsible a team management can be.
It makes me realise that we, the cricket lovers, should be blamed. We, the RCB fans, or maybe Virat Kohli fans, should feel guilty about what just happened. Given what happened during the celebration on the match night, was it not clear what the consequences could be if the players came to the team’s home city for a victory celebration?
Eventually, what people don’t realise is that for us, the fans, it’s a celebration of a victory or a trophy – but it’s just another match, yet another tournament, yet another day for the cricketers. Ultimately, what matters, at least in franchise cricket, is money, and the fans’ emotions drive more revenue. Your time, your emotion, your money feed their pockets, not the other way round. Their win will bring you happiness for a few days, months, or even years, but they won’t come and feed you and your family.
For you and me, a family is waiting at home: a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, a wife, children, and friends who care more than a cricketer does. There should be love for players, teams, and all that, but it should not come across as desperate. The fans should have been equally responsible.
And what was the “Official Statement” from the Franchise?
a. Incidents have come to light through media reports
b. Regarding public gatherings all over Bangalore
I repeat, how insensitive and irresponsible can this get? Don’t they have eyes to see what’s happening in front of them, either at Vidhana Soudha or Chinnaswamy Stadium? Are they taken blindfolded from the airport to the different venues?
As a cricket lover and a fellow RCB fan, I’m hurt and devastated by what I’ve seen happen in Bangalore today.
