Bengaluru, July 24 (PTI) The one-man commission investigating the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium here, has held both the organisers and senior police officials responsible for the tragedy that claimed 11 lives.
Justice Michael D’Cunha, the retired HC judge heading the panel, submitted a two-volume report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 11.
The state cabinet adopted the report on Thursday and decided to initiate legal action against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Karnataka State Cricket Association and DNA Networks Private Ltd.
Further, the cabinet directed that departmental inquiry be initiated against erring police officers.
The report, shared by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, delivers a scathing indictment of the event organisers — Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd. (RCSPL), DNA Entertainment Networks, and KSCA — accusing them of gross negligence. It also stated that senior police officials were complicit by allowing the event to proceed despite lacking mandatory permissions.
“The organisers were duty bound to obtain prior permission by submitting an application in the prescribed format at least 7 days in advance… but failed to do so,” the report said.
It named the then Commissioner of Police B Dayanamda, Additional Commissioner (West) Vikash Kumar Vikash, DCP Central Division Shekar H Tekkanavar, Cubbon Park ACP C Balakrishna and Police Inspector Girish A K, stating that they “failed to stop the event knowing fully well that it was unauthorised and that the event was organised in a haste without proper security arrangements.” Justice D’Cunha said, “The police officers themselves were found working on bandobust at the command of the Additional Director General and Commissioner of Police apparently in collusion and in nexus with the organisers even before the activation of the arrangements by the organisers.” The commission report flagged multiple critical lapses that contributed to the tragedy, including unscientific barricading, narrow entry gates, under-deployment of police personnel, and the absence of basic emergency medical response mechanisms.
The report noted that no emergency medical centre or casualty triage was set up near the venue.
Further, the report blamed the organisers for making inconsistent and misleading announcements, which triggered panic among the crowd. The organisers failed to provide guidance on gate-wise entry, causing unregulated surges. Barricades were poorly installed, creating dangerous bottlenecks.
The stampede was triggered by the organisers themselves by not regulating the entry into the gates and making reckless announcement with regard to the entry, which in the opinion of the Commission is the root cause for the stampede and the consequent commission death and injuries.
“This situation was created by the organisers themselves due to the lack of preparation and hasty decision which tantamount to recklessness bordering or grass negligence, tor which the organizers should be made accountable. The organisers failed to make any arrangement for the safety and security of the invitees,” the panel stated.
The stadium itself was deemed unfit for events of such scale.
Also, the organisers flouted the government order by failing to submit required documents such as crowd estimates, traffic management plans, and committee contact details.
“The victory ceremony was held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium without prior permissions of the licensing authority as required under the Provisions of the Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bengaluru City) Order, 2009,” the report stated.
The commission recommended legal action against RCB, DNA Entertainment, KSCA, and their respective officials Rajesh Menon, T Venkat Vardhan, Sunil Mathur, Raghuram Bhat, A Shankar, and Jairam E S—along with senior police officers who facilitated the event without clearance.
Justice D’Cunha stressed that the events open to the public must not be conducted without adequate ambulance deployment based on crowd size, a well-marked triage point staffed with trained personnel, a formal emergency medical response plan, and dedicated holding areas and pathways for entry.
He also urged the government and stadium authorities to relocate mass-attendance events to better-suited venues that meet international safety norms, including segregated queuing zones, multiple wide entry and exit points, integrated public transport and emergency evacuation plans.
“Until such infrastructural changes are made, hosting high-attendance events at the present location poses unacceptable risks to public safety, urban mobility and emergency preparedness,” the report warned.
The judicial probe was ordered by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on June 5, a day after the tragedy took place.
The stampede occurred during a victory parade organised by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise after their successful IPL campaign.
A massive crowd gathered outside the stadium leading to chaos and tragedy. PTI GMS ROH
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