The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have been at the helm of immense criticism and scrutiny following the horrific stampede that took the lives of eleven
fans who had gathered to get a glimpse of the franchise's IPL 2025 victory parade celebrations around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. On top of that, hundreds of people were injured as well.
In a bid to minimize the loss caused to the families of deceased, RCB CARES has been launched, what the team calls as 'a long-term commitment to meaningful action that begins by honouring their memory.' As a part of this initiative, the family members of those who were crushed to death will receive INR 25 lakh each in a bid to compensate for the invaluable human lives.
"We lost eleven members of the RCB family. They were part of us. Part of what makes our city, our community & our team unique. Their absence will echo in the memories of each one of us.
No amount of support can ever fill the space they've left behind. But as a first step, and with the deepest respect, RCB has extended 25 lakh each to their families. Not just as financial aid, but as a promise of compassion, unity, and ongoing care," RCB wrote on their official Instagram handle on Saturday, August 30.
What exactly happened at the Chinnaswamy stampede?
On June 4, RCB had announced a grand victory parade to celebrate their maiden IPL title with their fans in the city of Bengaluru. Despite issues in security protocols and shortage of police personnel, the franchise, the event organizers DNA, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) went ahead with the event, eventually leading to huge influx of crowd around the Queens Road and Cubbon Road that surround the venue.
The situation soon grew into a stampede, where suffocation, congestion, and crowd-push and shove led to countless people facing a near-death experience, while 11 actually had to lose their lives due to the negligence in security and proper management protocols.
In the aftermath of the stampede, the Chinnaswamy Stadium has been deprived of hosting any cricket matches. The KSCA had to shift the matches of the Maharaja Trophy 2025 to Mysuru as they were not able to obtain security clearance from the state government. More recently, the stadium also lost its hosting rights for the originally scheduled games for the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup 2025.
