Rahul Dravid breaks silence after Bengaluru stampede claims 11 lives: 'I am from here. Such a tragedy...'
RCB's IPL celebration turned into a tragedy on June 4 after 11 people lost their lives during a stampede, and more than 50 were left injured.
Former India captain Rahul Dravid was left "heartbroken" and "disappointed" as he reacted to the stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 4 during the IPL trophy victory celebration for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The RCB ended their 18-year wait for an IPL trophy on June 3 with a six-run win against the Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad.
In celebration of the maiden IPL title win, more than 2.5 lakh people gathered in and around the Chinnaswamy Stadium to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars. However, the celebration turned into a tragedy after 11 people lost their lives during the stampede, and more than 50 were left injured.
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Speaking to NDTV, the Bengaluru-based former India cricketer condoled the unfortunate incident and added that it was harrowing given the city's deep sporting culture.
"Very disappointing. It's very sad. Bengaluru is a sports-passionate city. I come from here. People over here love all sports, not just cricket. They follow all the sports and also all the sporting teams, be it a football team or a kabaddi team. It's really heartbreaking that such an unfortunate incident happened. Our thoughts go out to everyone for unfortunately lost their lives and those who were injured." Dravid said. "Such a tragedy shouldn't have happened."
Karnataka HC denies interim relief to RCB official
Following the tragedy, A Shankar and E S Jairam resigned from their respective position of secretary and treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), taking "moral responsibility" for the incident.
On the other hand, Nikhil Sosale, marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was arrested on June 6. On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court denied him any interim relief. In his petition, Sosale questioned the legality of his arrest, alleging that political directives influenced the police action.
Earlier Monday, the Karnataka High Court restrained officials from taking any coercive action against RCB and event partner DNA Entertainment Pvt Ltd until June 12.
