Virat Kohli expressed his anguish at the loss of more than 11 lives during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory parade at home on Wednesday.
The Royal Challengers had ended their 17-year wait for an IPL trophy on Tuesday after defeating Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
A victory parade was arranged barely 12 hours later in Bengaluru where more than 200,000 people turned up. A lack of clear guidelines and adequate crowd management resulted in a crowd crush at the Chinnaswamy Stadium by afternoon.
More than 11 people died in the incident with close to 50 injured.
Following the tragedy, RCB veteran Kohli posted a condolence message on social media.
"At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted," Kohli wrote on Instagram.
The Royal Challengers gave a statement, stating they wound up victory celebrations as soon as they were made aware of the events that had unfolded outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"We are deeply anguished by the unfortunate incidents that have come to light through media reports regarding public gatherings all over Bengaluru in anticipation of the team's arrival this afternoon. The safety and well-being of everyone is of utmost importance to us," RCB said in their statement.
"RCB mourns the tragic loss of lives and extend our heartfelt condolences to the affected families. Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our program, and followed the guidance and advice of the local administration. We urge all our supporters to please stay safe."
State chief minister Siddaramaiah has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
"The pain of this tragedy has erased the joy of victory," said Siddaramaiah.
"This tragedy should not have happened. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry, and given them 15 days' time."
According to the chief minister, around 200,000-300,000 people had turned up for the parade.
Soon after Bengaluru's victory on Tuesday, news emerged of a celebratory event on Wednesday. By morning, the franchise announced there would be a victory parade starting at 5pm, leading up to the stadium. They also said limited passes will be available for the venue.
The local administration was faced with the task of a major public event at short notice. Generally, victory parades after big cricket results in India take place two to three days after the event, as it allows local police and administration enough time to prepare a plan and for fans to make necessary arrangements.
The scale of the victory parade was shortened. However, there was a lack of clarity about access to the parade at the stadium, leading to a sudden rush of fans as gates started to open at the Chinnaswamy Stadium at around 4pm local time.
The Indian cricket board said the parade was the responsibility of the franchise, and clarified that RCB management inside the venue were not aware of the events unfolding outside.
"At the time of the celebrations inside the stadium officials there did not know what had happened," IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said.
Mumbai hosted a far bigger victory parade last year after India's win in the T20 World Cup. However, at that time local administration had enough time to prepare as the team was returning from the Caribbean. Also, the victory parade was held over a larger area with detailed plans for security and crowd management along the routes and at the Wankhede Stadium in place.
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
