Bengaluru Stampede during RCB's celebrations: The legendary Kapil Dev on Thursday expressed anguish at the death of 11 fans during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations here, saying "lives are more important than celebration" and advised everyone to take proper precautions in future.
Nearly two and a half lakh people thronged the areas near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of their idols, but the ensuing chaos caused the death of 11 people, besides leaving scores of others injured.
"I feel very bad about that. I think we have to learn from each other. Next time something like this (a victory parade) happens, people should be more conscious. People do make a mistakes," Kapil was quoted by PTI as saying.
The 1983 World Cup-winning India captain urged the teams and other stakeholders to keep sanity while organising events of such magnitude.
"Mistakes should not be to that scale where you are having fun and you lose lives. In the future, if any team wins, keep it calm. Lives are more important than celebration. Let's put it that way," he added.
In an anticipated gesture after the tragic incident, RCB came up with an announcement of INR 10 lakh each as compensation for each of the 11 families who lost their loved ones. They have also created the RCB Cares fund for the treatment of all those who sustained injuries during the stampede.
"The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family. As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of INR 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident.
"Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do. We remain united in grief," the post read.
