Bengaluru stampede: Cricket goes on, no accountability yet Premium
The Hindu
While the IPL resumes, questions from the 2025 stampede remain unanswered
After much deliberation, the Karnataka Cabinet recently cleared a proposal to allow big-ticket cricket matches, particularly those of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was in front of this venue in the heart of Bengaluru that 11 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans died in a stampede in June 2025. The team’s trophy victory after a 17-year wait had led to a fan frenzy, leading to the tragedy.
Following the incident, the State government, which faced criticism for its alleged failure at crowd control, imposed a blanket ban on all matches at the stadium. It did not even allow the Vijay Hazare trophy without spectators. An expert committee, led by Greater Bengaluru Authority chief M. Maheshwar Rao, had found that the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which runs the stadium, had not implemented the safety measures recommended by the John Michael Cunha Commission after the stampede.
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But with former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad taking over as chairperson of the KSCA recently, the focus shifted to reviving cricket at the stadium. The State government has now given conditional approval to hold IPL matches this season, after the KSCA promised that all safety precautions would be implemented in a phased manner. As RCB is the defending champion, the opening match of this season is expected to be held here.
The stampede also prompted a debate on relocating the stadium out of the Central Business District area. There are four major sporting venues in the Central Business District — M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore Golf Club, Bangalore Turf Club, and Kanteerava Indoor Stadium — all within a 2-kilometre radius of the State legislature. Last week, the Cabinet also cleared a proposal to shift racing activity out of the Bangalore Turf Club to Kunigal on the city’s outskirts.
Also Read | Bengaluru stampede: How what was to be a victory celebration ended in a tragedy
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