RCB fan event in Bengaluru cut short as crowd goes berserk

The day-long RCB Unbox event held on Church Street for legions of fans ended on a sour note as the crowd reportedly went unruly.

The situation forced the organisers to hold the last two concerts by leading artists Raghu Dixit and KK at the RCB Bar and Café before a select audience, abandoning earlier plans to let them perform on a stage along the street, sources said.

When DH visited the concert area at 8 pm, visibly upset fans were leaving the place in droves while organisers were packing up. Those arriving for the concert had to turn back in disappointment.

A member of the music team said hurriedly, “The crowd went out of control and started jumping on barricades around the sound-controlling unit causing inconvenience to the technicians.

“It is heartbreaking that we had to call it off (for the public). I am surprised how the organisers did not anticipate so much crowd. They should have chosen a bigger ground.”

Others gave a similar account of the situation.

On the scene, RCB cut-outs could be seen torn, wooden slats broken, and plastic bottles strewn all around.

Police officers attached to the Cubbon Park station told DH they did not cancel the outdoor performances. The media team of the event confirmed the same and said the decision was taken in view of the overcrowding situation.

The junction outside the RCB Bar and Cafe was crowded all day as fans waited to catch a glimpse of the players, click photographs with them and get the cricket merchandise.

Cricketers like Dinesh Karthik and RCB’s new captain Faf du Plessis were spotted at the venue. The new season of IPL starts on March 26.

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