A tragic turn of events cast a shadow over Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s much-anticipated homecoming celebrations on Wednesday, as a massive stampede erupted amid the jubilant scenes in the city. 

The incident, which occurred near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, claimed 11 lives and left many others injured. A grand felicitation ceremony had been organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Academy (KSCA) to honour the RCB players following their historic maiden IPL title win, that ended an 18-year-long wait.

The disaster unfolded as thousands of fans flooded the streets to welcome the newly crowned champions, who had returned triumphant after their thrilling victory over Punjab Kings in Tuesday night’s final. However, the celebration quickly spiraled into chaos, with overwhelming crowds jostling for space and law enforcement resorting to baton charges in a bid to manage the unruly mob.