Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first social media post nearly three months after devastating stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, that killed 11 people and injured over 50 others on June 4, drew sharp criticism from Chairperson of Aarin Capitals and former Infosys CEO Mohandas Pai who called it ‘fake tears' and 'marketing rubbish’.
RCB had maintained social media silence since the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede and on Thursday the IPL franchise announced the launch of RCB Cares — a new initiative designed to support families impacted by the tragedy that occurred just one day after the team celebrated its first-ever IPL championship victory.
The franchise's return to social media drew sharp criticism from Pai who dismissed the IPL team's social media message as insincere marketing tactics. "These are fake tears and a marketing gimmick by @RCBTweets like this are load of usual marketing rubbish. They should tell their fan what did they compensate families of those killed? What did they do for them not this rubbish!" Pai wrote on X.
The deadly incident unfolded when thousands of supporters gathered outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium to join celebrations for RCB's maiden IPL title. The crush claimed 11 lives and left 56 others injured while festivities continued inside the venue.
RCB's emotional statement
In their first social media post since the tragedy, RCB addressed their fan base known as the "12th Man Army" with a lengthy emotional message explaining their extended silence.
"Dear 12th Man Army, this is our heartfelt letter to you! It's been close to three months since we last posted here. The Silence wasn't Absence. It was Grief. This space was once filled with energy, memories, and moments that you enjoyed the most. But June 4th changed everything. That day broke our hearts, and the silence since then has been our way of holding space. In that silence, we've been grieving. Listening. Learning. And slowly, we've begun to build something more than just a response. Something we truly believe in," the franchise stated.
The team explained that their period of silence involved grieving, listening, and learning, ultimately leading to the creation of their new charitable initiative.
"In that silence, we've been grieving. Listening. Learning. And slowly, we've begun to build something more than just a response. Something we truly believe in. That's how RCB CARES came to life," the message continued.
Following the tragedy, RCB had announced on June 5 that it would provide compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of each of the eleven victims who died in the stampede.
The Karnataka state government established a judicial commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deadly incident. The commission's findings recommended "appropriate legal action" against several entities, including Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd., event management company DNA Entertainment Networks, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
Five police officers were suspended in connection with the incident as authorities sought to determine accountability for the crowd management failures that led to the fatal stampede.
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