M. Chinnaswamy Stadium declared unsafe for big events, action recommended against RCB‑KSCA‑DNA

Justice D’Cunha Commission Report: Bengaluru Stampede & Stadium Unsafe for Major Events

The Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission, appointed by the Karnataka government to investigate the June 4, 2025 stampede during RCB’s IPL victory parade in Bengaluru, has declared the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium fundamentally “unsafe and unsuitable for mass gatherings.” The report directly accuses Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), DNA Entertainment Networks, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) of negligence and procedural lapses .

Key Findings: Stadium Deficiencies

• Inadequate design for large crowds: The stadium, built in 1974, was found structurally incapable of handling mass events, lacking modern crowd-control infrastructure .
• Crowd management failures: Absence of purpose-built queuing areas, insufficient entry/exit gates, and poor crowd circulation routes posed significant risk .
• Poor integration with transport: Limited access to public transit, parking, and drop‑off zones exacerbated congestion and chaos .
• No emergency evacuation plans: The venue lacks internationally compliant protocols and contingency systems for evacuation .

The commission warned that continuing large-scale events at the Chinnaswamy Stadium would pose “unacceptable risks to public safety, urban mobility, and emergency preparedness” .

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Accountability: Who Was Held Responsible

The commission named several key stakeholders:

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Marketed free entry via social media without obtaining official permission, creating confusion around passes .
• DNA Entertainment Networks: Failed to secure necessary approvals as the event organizer .
• KSCA: Overlooked stadium risks and allowed the parade despite structural limitations .

Officials Recommended for Legal Action:

• KSCA President Raghuram Bhat
• Former secretary A. Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam (who resigned citing moral responsibility)
• RCB Vice-President Rajesh Menon
• DNA Entertainment executives T. Venkat Vardhan and Sunil Mathur .

Senior police officers were also held accountable, including B Dayananda, Vikash Kumar, Shekhar HT, C Balakrishna, and A K Girish, many of whom were suspended post-incident .

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Scheduled Events in Doubt

• The stadium was slated to host the opening match and semi-final of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup from September 30 to November 2, 2025. The report casts serious doubt on this timeline .
• The KSCA has already decided to conduct the upcoming Maharaja Trophy T20 League behind closed doors, highlighting worsening confidence in crowd safety .

The stadium was initially slated to host the opening match, the second semi-final, and possibly even the final of the ICC Women’s ODI Cricket World Cup, scheduled from 30 September to 2 November 2025 . However, the Justice D’Cunha Commission’s conclusion that the venue is structurally “unsuitable and unsafe for large‑scale gatherings” puts all such high-attendance fixtures at serious risk of relocation or cancellation.

In response to growing safety concerns, the KSCA has already declared that the upcoming Maharaja Trophy T20 League, beginning in mid‑August, will be held behind closed doors, with no spectators allowed . This decision underscores a sharp decline in confidence about crowd management at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Moreover, the BCCI is reported to be reviewing venue allocations for the Women’s World Cup and may shift matches to alternative venues, such as Indore’s Holkar Stadium or other stadiums that meet international safety norms . Such changes would require coordination among the State government, KSCA, BCCI and ICC, as well as major logistical rearrangements—raising both operational and financial consequences for the organizers.

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Government & Legal Response

• On July 24, 2025, the Karnataka Cabinet formally accepted the D’Cunha Commission’s recommendations and approved legal and departmental action against RCB, KSCA, DNA Entertainment, and implicated police officials .
• Meanwhile, DNA Entertainment has petitioned the Karnataka High Court to quash the inquiry report, alleging procedural bias, denial of cross-examination rights, and rushing of conclusions under the Commission of Inquiry Act .

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Recommendations & Future Strategy

The commission emphasized urgent upgrades and reforms:

• Infrastructure overhauls: Add more entry/exit gates, queuing zones, parking, drop‑off areas, and modern evacuation routes.
• Venue suitability: High-attendance events should be shifted to facilities meeting international safety and crowd management standards .
• Technological and procedural improvements: Implement CCTV surveillance, predictive crowd analytics, capacity controls, staggered scheduling, and mandatory event registrations .
• Enforcement & accountability: Legal action and strong enforcement are necessary to deter negligence in future events .

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Conclusion

The Justice D’Cunha Commission has exposed serious safety failures at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, holding RCB, DNA Entertainment, KSCA, and senior police officials accountable for the tragic crowd crush on June 4, 2025, which claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 people . The report recommends halting large-scale events at the venue until urgent infrastructure upgrades and system-level reforms are completed. Major upcoming fixtures like the ICC Women’s World Cup and IPL 2026 are now in jeopardy, pending safety compliance and venue assessments.