What should have been a jubilant celebration for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory quickly spiraled into a nightmare. A massive crowd gathered on Bengaluru’s Brigade Road to witness the victory parade, but poor crowd control, lack of coordination between agencies, and underestimated turnout led to a deadly stampede, killing 11 and injuring 56 others.

Eyewitnesses describe a scene of confusion, blocked exits, collapsing barricades, and panic as the crowd surged uncontrollably during RCB’s open-bus rally. While the city police anticipated around 1 lakh fans, the number reportedly exceeded 3 lakhs, overwhelming both traffic and law enforcement.

Sources indicate delayed communication between the event organizers, BBMP, and Bengaluru Police contributed to the chaos. Criticism has mounted against the Karnataka government for failing to deploy adequate emergency response teams and for treating the parade as a routine event rather than a high-risk mass gathering.

Investigations are underway, but the tragedy raises a sobering question: how many lives will it take for crowd management to be taken seriously in India?