Bengaluru: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Monday announced it will set up a dedicated memorial space in the city to honour the 11 fans who lost their lives in the June 4 stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The franchise said the space will preserve the “names, stories and spirit” of those who perished during celebrations of RCB’s maiden IPL title. The move, which is part of a broader initiative called RCB Cares, comes as part of damage-control measures rolled out by the franchise, which had drawn flak for fans for its prolonged silence following the stampede. However, RCB is yet to apologise for the tragedy even though it announced Rs 25 lakh compensation for each of the victims. The dedicated space, the location of which is yet to be announced, will serve as a living tribute to passionate fans, RCB said. The other measures include: Ensure fast, transparent support to fans and families impacted; build safe and inclusive environments; work closely with stadium authorities, sporting bodies and league partners to design better crowd management protocols; invest in independent research on crowd safety; create fan-safety audit framework and train on-ground partners annually on crowd management and emergency response; create in-stadia jobs, nurture local talent and support next-generation professionals in sport.
