It's really heartbreaking that such an unfortunate incident happened, said former India batter and head coach Rahul Dravid on Bengaluru stampede that took place near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 at Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 title celebration.
"Our thoughts go out to everyone who unfortunately lost their lives and those who were injured," Dravid told NDTV in an exclusive interview. "Such a tragedy shouldn't have happened."
"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," he said.
At present Dravid is associated with IPL, as the coach of the Rajasthan Royals team.
The former India coach who hails from Bengaluru refrained from getting into the 'political blame game' while also refusing to blame the state government, the franchise, or the Karnataka State Cricket Association or KSCA for the tragedy.
A few RCB and an event management company officials were also arrested in relation to the investigation in the case, with an FIR also being lodged against the IPL franchise.
RCB's 18-year wait for clinching the IPL title finally ended on June 3 when they defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in Ahmedabad. To celebrate this moment with the fans, a victory parade was held in Bengaluru, but the joyous occasion turned into a tragedy after a stampede broke out and killed 11 people.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
