KKR's victory bash turns sour

Kolkata Knight Riders' victory celebrations post their triumphant Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign were marred by a near-stampede followed by a lathi-charge as more than 150,000 supported clambered over barricades and gates to get a glimpse of their heroes.

With 64,000 supporters already filling Eden Gardens to its brim, more than 50,000 fans outside were left to resort to much less-desired routes to gain entry leaving many, especially children and women, injured in the melee.

With the police and even West Bengal sports minister Madan Mitra's attempts to pacify the crowd coming up woefully short, the Rapid Action Force had to intervene and resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

Reflecting on what went wrong, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who cut short a trip to North Bengal to attend the KKR party, said from the next time onwards the title-celebrations will be held at the Brigade Parade ground. The Parade ground has been known to host political rallies and can easily accommodate large crowds such as the one gathered at Eden Gardens today.

KKR were celebrating their 2nd IPL triumph in 3 years after a stunning upturn in form saw them notch up 9 wins on the trot, including a nail-biting chase of 200 in 20 overs against Kings XI Punjab in the final in Bangalore.