<p>Bengaluru: The new IPL season may have excited the RCB fans in the city but for families who lost their loved ones in the stampede during the team’s victory celebration last season, it has only rekindled painful memories.</p>.<p>For Lakshman H, who lost his only son Bhumik (21) in the June 4 tragedy, life has changed entirely. “I don’t think we can express how painful it is and how we are spending each day. Our entire life has changed. Now, we are not living anymore, we are just pushing each day. There is no hope in our lives,” he lamented.</p>.<p>On the fateful day last year, following RCB won its maiden IPL trophy, a huge crowd gathered near the Chinnaswamy Stadium to celebrate the victory. Owing to poor crowd management and a lack of adequate security measures, the situation turned chaotic, resulting in 11 deaths.</p>.Women leaders share journeys of resilience at conclave in Bengaluru.<p>Relatives of victims said the day’s memory haunts them even today and the wounds are still afresh. “My daughter loved the cricketers and I took her hoping she could get a glimpse of them. But what happened just turned our lives upside down. I live with that pain every day and will have to live with it all my life,” said Ashwini who lost her daughter Divyanshi (14).</p>.<p>Some parents who spoke to <span class="italic">DH</span> also expressed their helplessness. “I am ready to do anything to stop this new season. But our system is such that we are not able to stop such events even after such a big disaster,” Ashwini said.</p>.<p>While several social workers and politicians visited the families initially, none of them stood by their words, Ashwini said. “From promises of providing counselling support to cope up with the situation to helping with the court case, many of them voluntarily came forward to offer support. But none of them stood by their words. If they cannot do it, people should not make fake promises,” she said.</p>.<p>Some parents hoped that children wouldn’t fall for such mania about games. “Our son is gone. We have nothing to say now. But I hope youngsters don’t go mad about this game at least after last year’s incident. They can very well watch the game on the television and I hope they stick to it,” said Devaraju who lost his son Manoj in the stampede.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The new IPL season may have excited the RCB fans in the city but for families who lost their loved ones in the stampede during the team’s victory celebration last season, it has only rekindled painful memories.</p>.<p>For Lakshman H, who lost his only son Bhumik (21) in the June 4 tragedy, life has changed entirely. “I don’t think we can express how painful it is and how we are spending each day. Our entire life has changed. Now, we are not living anymore, we are just pushing each day. There is no hope in our lives,” he lamented.</p>.<p>On the fateful day last year, following RCB won its maiden IPL trophy, a huge crowd gathered near the Chinnaswamy Stadium to celebrate the victory. Owing to poor crowd management and a lack of adequate security measures, the situation turned chaotic, resulting in 11 deaths.</p>.Women leaders share journeys of resilience at conclave in Bengaluru.<p>Relatives of victims said the day’s memory haunts them even today and the wounds are still afresh. “My daughter loved the cricketers and I took her hoping she could get a glimpse of them. But what happened just turned our lives upside down. I live with that pain every day and will have to live with it all my life,” said Ashwini who lost her daughter Divyanshi (14).</p>.<p>Some parents who spoke to <span class="italic">DH</span> also expressed their helplessness. “I am ready to do anything to stop this new season. But our system is such that we are not able to stop such events even after such a big disaster,” Ashwini said.</p>.<p>While several social workers and politicians visited the families initially, none of them stood by their words, Ashwini said. “From promises of providing counselling support to cope up with the situation to helping with the court case, many of them voluntarily came forward to offer support. But none of them stood by their words. If they cannot do it, people should not make fake promises,” she said.</p>.<p>Some parents hoped that children wouldn’t fall for such mania about games. “Our son is gone. We have nothing to say now. But I hope youngsters don’t go mad about this game at least after last year’s incident. They can very well watch the game on the television and I hope they stick to it,” said Devaraju who lost his son Manoj in the stampede.</p>