Never a believer of road shows: Gambhir on RCB victory parade mishap

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and new captain Shubman Gill attended a pre-tour press conference as the duo addressed the media ahead of the England Test tour that is scheduled to start from June 20 onwards.  Gambhir was asked about yesterday's stampede like situation outside Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations in Bengaluru.  

  Answering the question Gautam Gambhir opined, "I'm always a believer of not having road shows. You cannot lose 11 people. If you weren't ready to hold the road show, you shouldn't have gone ahead. We can be more responsible for such things". 

India head coach Gautam Gambhir, reflecting on past experiences with major title celebrations, including the 2007 T20 World Cup and IPL victories in Kolkata, emphasized the importance of prioritizing public safety during such events. In light of the recent tragedy in Bengaluru, where 11 people lost their lives during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory parade, Gambhir called for greater responsibility in organizing celebrations.

 

“I was never in favour of such roadshows, not even in 2007,” he stated. “These events should ideally be held in controlled environments like stadiums or behind closed doors to ensure public safety.”

 

He stressed that events should not go ahead if the infrastructure or planning isn’t ready, urging everyone involved to act as “responsible citizens.”

 

However, Gambhir refrained from placing blame or commenting on whether fan culture has evolved, choosing instead to focus on the broader need for caution and better crowd management in the future.