Bengaluru, Feb 18 (IANS): In a tragic turn of events at a cricket tournament held ahead of the Shivaratri festival, two youths were stabbed to death by a group of people who had come to watch the match.

The incident took place on Friday at the Karnataka Public School ground in Doddabelavangala village on the outskirts of the city. The deceased have been identified as Bharath kumar (23), an engineering graduate, and Prateek (17), a pre-university student.

According to police officials, the youth were stabbed by four men over an argument on parking their four-wheeler inside the playground. The accused had come to watch the cricket match and were trying to park their vehicle in the ground when some of the spectators and organisers objected to it.

With the argument escalating, the accused and their car were attacked. The two victims were not involved in the fight, a police official stated.

However, the accused who fled the scene later accosted Bharath and Prateek, who clad in T-shirts provided by the tournament organisers, were waiting at a bus stop. The accused repeatedly stabbed the two youths and escaped from the spot. The victims were rushed to hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.

The accused have been identified and special teams have been formed to apprehend them, the police stated.