Justice Michael D’cunha report on stampede blames KSCA, RCB, DNA and City police; DC submits report to Chief Secy

BENGALURU: The Justice Michael D’Cunha report, submitted to the government on Friday, has revealed explosive details about the stampede that occurred near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, resulting in the deaths of 11 people.

The report recommends departmental inquiry against officials who were negligent in their duties and suggests registering criminal cases against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), DNA Networks, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and the City police.

The report holds KSCA, DNA, RCB, and the police directly responsible for the incident. Despite knowing that conducting the event was impossible, all parties involved went ahead with it, showing extreme negligence and dereliction of duty, the report noted.

The investigation revealed that the security arrangement was inadequate, with only 79 police personnel inside the stadium and none outside. The emergency vehicle and ambulance arrangements were also incomplete.

The report highlights several issues, including poor crowd management, inadequate security arrangements, and a lack of fire safety measures in the stadium. It is wrong to hold such a large gathering event at Chinnaswamy Stadium. The gates were very small. There were also false claims about the number of police personnel deployed, with the actual number being less than 800, contrary to the claimed 1,650, the report said.

All the victims died due to suffocation, as per the autopsy reports.

The report also notes that there was a delayed response to the incident, with the police commissioner not being informed until 5:30 pm, despite the stampede occurring at 3:25 pm. The joint commissioner had come to the stadium at 4 pm.

The report recommends inquiry against officials who were negligent in their duties and registration of an FIR against the police. If the report is accepted by the government, the officials mentioned in the report may be accused in the case.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru Urban district Deputy Commissioner Jagadeesha G has submitted a report to the Chief Secretary, Shalini Rajneesh, holding RCB responsible for the Chinnaswamy stampede incident.

According to the report, the RCB management board is accountable for the incident as they did not obtain permission from the police despite announcing free passes, which led to the chaos.

The report identifies four parties responsible for the incident, including RCB management, DNA, KSCA and the police. Among these, RCB management’s decision is considered the biggest mistake. The report was submitted to the government at 7 pm, and it is likely to have significant implications for the parties involved.