Men's T20 Cricket World Cup champions parade: Mismanagement alleged after several fans injured, left with breathing problems

Men's T20 Cricket World Cup Champions Parade in Mumbai: “Several” fans gathered to celebrate the Indian men's cricket team's victory at Marine Drive in Mumbai reported injuries and some had difficulty breathing, ANI reported, according to Mumbai police.

A huge crowd gathered near Wankhede Stadium at Marine Drive for the victory parade of the Indian cricket team, winner of the T20 World Cup, on June 4.

Reports: Surging crowds, no police intervention

Rishab Mahesh Yadav, who lost consciousness during the march, told ANI that he felt “suffocated” as the crowd kept growing. “The crowd was growing. I fell down and choked. I lost consciousness. I was taken to the nearest hospital, where I received treatment. I am fine now. The crowd was more than necessary. There was mismanagement. The police were also not vigilant,” Yadav said.

Ravi Solanki, an eyewitness, told ANI that the crowd “kept growing”, adding that “the police were not handling the situation”. “I was coming back from the office and came to know that the Indian team would arrive between 5 pm and 6 pm, which did not happen. The crowd kept growing. The police were not handling the situation. Suddenly people started shouting after which some threw themselves at each other. It was very disorganised. There was no one to handle the situation. The incident happened between 8:15 pm and 8:45 pm,” Solanki said.

Fans celebrate with men's T20 cricket champions

Earlier, the Rohit Sharma-led team had kicked off the open-top bus parade from Marine Drive.

The fans were out in large numbers, dancing to the tunes of India's success and celebrating the arrival of the T20 World Champion team. Throughout the parade, the players were seen lifting the coveted trophy and appreciating the support of their fans.

The fans' love was clearly visible as some of them climbed the tree and cheered the team on as the bus drove past them.

India's World Cup winning players distributed balls to the fans present in the stadium. The fans took selfies and also asked for autographs from the cricketers.

The Indian team was felicitated at the Wankhede Stadium at the end of the victory parade on June 4 evening. The officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) presented a cheque of ₹125 crores to the entire team on stage.

(With contributions from ANI)