In December 2024, chaos broke out at Hyderabad's Sandhya Theater during the midnight premiere of Pushpa 2. One woman died in the stampede, and dozens were injured.
Despite not being responsible for safety arrangements, Allu Arjun was arrested-sparking outrage and debate about accountability in celebrity-led events.
Fast forward to June 2025. Outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory parade turned tragic.
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Eleven people lost their lives, including a child. Over 45 were injured. Once again, the crowd swelled beyond control. Once again, disaster struck.
The one glaring similarity between both stampedes? A lack of time for proper planning.
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In both cases, organizers were caught unprepared. Whether it was the last-minute decision to hold a midnight premiere or the rushed victory parade after RCB's historic win-the events were too big to wing.
Crowd management, barricades, emergency protocols-everything requires time, coordination, and planning. When that's missing, the results are devastating.
Contrast this with the T20 World Cup victory parade on Mumbai's Marine Drive, which hosted an even larger crowd. Yet not a single casualty was reported.
Was it luck? No-it was planning. Authorities had time to prepare. And they did.
In a country where fandom fuels frenzy, timelines must not be tighter than the safety margins. These aren't isolated accidents. They are preventable tragedies-if only we learn.