A broken pole, footwear scattered everywhere and dented cars – this was the scene at Mumbai’s Marine Drive after the T20 World Cup victory procession of Team India passed the iconic sea face. The aftermath paints a picture of the rush on the streets of the city to see the World Cup heroes. There are no reports of any injuries so far.
Massive crowds converged at the promenade to watch the team that had brought T20 cricket’s most coveted prize home after more than a decade. The fans, some of them in blue jerseys, cheered the team with slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘India India’. However, many were inconvenienced by the huge crowds packed shoulder to shoulder.
A woman fainted, apparently due to suffocation. Visuals showed a policeman carrying her on his shoulder, trying to get her away from the swarm of people. Witnesses said fans climbed roofs of cars and danced in joy causing damage to them.
NDTV saw several cars parked around Marine Drive with dents on their roofs. A broken pole was also seen on the ground, apparently damaged during the feverish haste of people to witness the the Rohit Sharma-led team’s open-top bus parade.
Arvind, a cricket fan who had only one slipper on, told NDTV, “Many people fell” in the mad rush to catch a glimpse of the cricketers. “I was walking behind the Team India bus. I lost one of my slippers, headphones and my water bottle in the crowd. Some lost their mobile phones, some women lost their handbags,” he said.
South Mumbai witnessed huge traffic jams. Vehicular movement was stopped towards Marine Drive that left other roads in the area in chaos with vehicles lined up bumper to bumper. Police made announcements about not proceeding to Marine Drive since the area was already packed to the brim.
After the conclusion of the victory procession, the Indian team was felicitated at the Wankhede Stadium. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office bearers presented the team with a cheque of Rs 125 crore at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The T20 World Cup final on June 29 saw India clinching their second trophy, ending the drought that lasted for 13 years. They also became the first team to win the T20 World Cup title unbeaten.
