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1. Divyanshi B S: A fan who wanted to see Kohli

Fourteen-year-old Divyanshi B S was passionate about cricket and a big fan of Virat Kohli. “She wanted to see him up close. Her wish cost her her life,” Divyanshi’s mother, Ashwini U L, said on Thursday.

A Class 9 student who stayed in Yelahanka in Bengaluru, Divyanshi was a dancer who wanted to become a veterinarian doctor, her mother said. “She was a very mature person. In fact, she used to inspire me on how to handle situations in life,” Ashwini said.

“Not just Virat Kohli, she knew the achievements of Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and even other players,” Ashwini, who had accompanied her daughter to watch the RCB felicitation at Chinnaswamy stadium, added.

2. Manoj Kumar: A father’s hopes dashed

Devaraj N T, a pani puri vendor in Bengaluru, was watching TV when he saw the news about a stampede at Chinnaswamy stadium. He immediately dialled his son, Manoj Kumar, 20, a BBA student at Presidency College. “Someone else picked up the phone. I sensed something amiss,” Devaraj said.

Kumar’s family shifted to Bengaluru 22 years ago. A native of Tumakuru, Kumar stayed with his parents in Yelahanka.

“The police called me and asked me to come to Bowring Hospital. I did not have the courage to see my son’s dead body,” Devaraj said. “He went to the event with two of his friends. He had told me that he would only go to Vidhana Soudha. I did not know that he had gone near Chinnaswamy stadium,” he added.

Reacting to the government announcing compensation of Rs 10 lakh, Devaraj said, “I am ready to give Rs 50 lakh…Rs 1 crore. Will they get my son back?”

3. Prajwal G: Went to stadium despite mother’s plea

Prajwal G, 22, was an engineering graduate and an employee at a private firm. An RCB fan who celebrated the team’s win with friends on Tuesday night, Prajwal ignored his mother’s entreaties not to go to the Chinnasawmy stadium on Wednesday. “He went against my will,” his mother, Pavithra, said on Thursday.

Prajwal used to stay at Yelahanka New Town and was the only son of Pavithra and Ganesh.

“By 5.30 pm, I received the call about the incident. I went to the police station and they took me to Vydehi Hospital. There were unidentified dead bodies, and the doctors told me to see them. Hoping that it would not be my son, I entered, and then my life shattered. His body was kept as he slept at home. The government has killed my son,” Pavithra cried.

4. Poorna Chandra: A Mysuru engineer with plans to get married

Poorna Chandra, 26, who hailed from K R Pet taluk in Mandya district, worked as a civil engineer in Mysuru and was a big RCB fan. On Wednesday, he was in Bengaluru to meet a woman that his family was keen to see him get married to. “I had asked him to visit the girl’s house. After visiting the house, he went to the stadium. We were not aware of it. By 6 pm, we received the call that he was dead,” Poorna’s father, R B Chandru, told the media.

His body was taken to his village on Thursday for the final rites.

5. Chinmayi Shetty: Trip with classmates ends in tragedy

Chinmayi Shetty, 19, was not an avid cricket fan, but decided to join her classmates as they made their way to the Chinnaswamy stadium to join the RCB celebrations. An engineering student who also studied Yakshagana, Chinmayi was a resident of Doddakallasandra and hailed from Mangaluru.

“She called me over the phone at about 1.30 pm and said that she was heading to the stadium. She did not have a craze for cricket, but went there with her classmates. At 5.30 pm, I received the call that she was dead,” Chinmayi’s father Karunakara Shetty said. “I have lost my daughter. What will I do with the compensation? I want my daughter back,” Karunakara cried.

6. Shivalingu Chandappa: Was in Bengaluru to get his TC

Seventeen-year-old Shivalingu, who hailed from Yadgir, was in Bengaluru to receive his transfer certificate. After collecting his documents, he decided to visit the Chinnaswamy stadium.

“I was watching TV and was blaming the public, wondering why they needed to go to the stadium and Vidhana Soudha in such big numbers. I was unaware that my son was also there,” Shivalingu’s father, Honnappa, who works as a labourer in Honigeri village in Yadgir district, said. “By evening, we received the call that Shivalingu was no more,” he added.

7. Bhoomik Lakshman: A fateful outing with friends

Bhoomik Lakshman, 19, was a resident of M S Ramaiah Layout. According to his father, Lakshman D H, Bhoomik visited the Chinnaswamy stadium with his friends. “He did not inform me, but at around 3 pm, he made a video call to his mother and showed her the celebrations. Later, I heard that there was a stampede. I tried reaching him over the phone, but he did not pick up the call,” Lakshman said.

“My son could have been saved if there were proper medical facilities. My son was killed due to the apathy of the civic agencies and the government,” he added.

8. Kamakshi Devi: An RCB fan who wanted to celebrate IPL win

A native of Udumalpet in Coimbatore, Kamakshi Devi worked as an analyst at Amazon in Bengaluru. Her cousin brother, Veerabahu Tamizh Selvan, told The Indian Express that her marriage was on the verge of being finalised.

An ardent RCB fan, Devi wanted to participate in the victory celebrations and was accompanied by two of her colleagues to the stadium. “Three of them entered through Gate 7 when it was partially opened. When everyone stormed inside the stadium aggressively pushing each other, that is when the tragedy struck. While my cousin sister lost her life in the melee, her two friends suffered a leg and hand fracture and had a narrow escape,” Selvan said.

He added that Devi was brought dead to Bowring Hospital by 5 pm. Speaking in disbelief, Selvan said, “We had a cousins’ get-together two days ago, and Devi was also with us. It is so shocking to learn that she is no more after two days.”

9. Sahana Rajesh: A software engineer’s dreams shattered

Sahana Rajesh had been working as a software engineer at Bosch for the last two years after securing a campus placement. She participated in the Chinnaswamy stadium event along with eight friends, but did not inform her parents. Her relatives said that she was a studious student and someone who always loved to socialise with everyone. She also wanted to help fulfil her younger sister’s dream of becoming a doctor.

Speaking to reporters, her father, Rajesh, said, “Nobody should meet this tragic fate. She was someone who never breached our (parents’) trust. She had very big dreams, and everything now stands shattered.”

10. Akshata Pai: A couple who took leave to celebrate RCB’s win

Techie Ashay Ranjan and his wife, Akshata Pai, a 26-year-old chartered accountant, had taken half a day’s leave from work to reach M Chinnaswamy stadium. On Wednesday morning, the couple, who hail from the coastal Uttara Kannada district and reside in Kammanahalli in Bengaluru, saw RCB’s Instagram post on a victory parade and decided to attend.

“We were excited that RCB had won the IPL for the first time. We both were at our work respectively and decided to take half a day’s leave. We bought new RCB jerseys and reached M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium,” Ranjan said.

He said he was holding his wife’s hand till the last minute. “As Gate 17 opened, a lot of people started barging in, and Akshata and I fell. We were all screaming for help, and some people rescued me. But by then, I lost her hand,” he said. By night, the doctors declared that Akshata had passed away.

11. Shravan K T: An RCB fan who kept his protective parents in the dark

Shravan K T from Chikkaballapur, a second-year dental student, went with his friends to the RCB event, keeping his parents in the dark. “He was an RCB fanatic and loved cricket. He did not inform his family about his decision to go to the event. If he had informed them, they would not have allowed him to go. They were always very protective of him,” his classmate and close friend, Vinuth, told The Indian Express.

A reserved person, Shravan’s grandparents wanted him to become a doctor, but he could not crack it, and eventually took up dental studies. “His family earned fame and respect in Chintamani for their extensive social work and goodness. They have always fed people in need and ensured nobody goes hungry,” Vinuth said.

Shravan has an elder brother who is a final-year BSc Agriculture student at Gandhi Krishi Vigyana Kendra.