Judicial panel blames organisers, police for Bengaluru stampede, says no big events should be held at stadium sans safety measures

The commission has recommended the introduction of several measures at the stadium, including adequate entry and exit gates, integration with public transport facilities, and infrastructure for emergency responses, before conducting any public event.

“Until such infrastructural changes are made, continuing to host high attendance events at the current location poses unacceptable risks to public safety, urban mobility and emergency preparedness,” the commission has said in a recommendation made in a report submitted to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 11.

The report was scheduled to be discussed in the state cabinet on July 17, but was postponed till the next cabinet meeting.

The commission has stated that without addressing “systemic limitations” at the cricket stadium located in the heart of Bengaluru on M G Road, it would not be appropriate to hold large public events there.

“The commission strongly recommends that stadium authorities consider relocating events that are expected to attract large crowds to venues that are better suited for such large gatherings,” the report has stated.

“Any future venue should adhere to international standards, including: Purpose built queuing and circulation zones separated from public roads. Adequate entry/exit gates for mass entry and exit (ingress and egress). Integrated public transport access points and tourist hubs. Emergency evacuation plans compliant with international safety norms. Sufficient parking and drop off infrastructure to handle attendee volumes,” the commission has said.

“The design and structure of the stadium was unsuitable and unsafe for mass gathering. All the entry and exit gates were directly opening into the public footpath. Spacious and organized holding area for crowd were not provided at the entry, as a result, the audience were forced to queue up on the footpath or the road abstracting and endangering the pedestrians and vehicular movements as well as giving scope for the miscreants to join the crowd aggravating the risk especially in the absence of proper security management,” the Justice D’Cunha commission report has stated.

Judicial commission holds organisers, police responsible

While the commission has affixed blame on organisers of the event and the police for the stampede tragedy—this is keeping in line with government action and criminal proceedings initiated after the incident—it does not implicate a parallel government event to felicitate the RCB team (which was held a kilometre away from the stadium) for the thronging by the public in a short period.

An advocate for a police officer suspended for the stampede suggested in the Karnataka High Court on Thursday that it was dignitaries at the government event held at the Vidhana Soudha, the government headquarters, who asked the RCB fans to go to the stadium. The suggestion was made during a challenge to a Central Administrative Tribunal order to revoke the suspension of the IPS officer.

Based on its findings, the Justice D’Cunha commission has recommended legal action against multiple officials of the RCB, event managers DNA Networks, the KSCA and the Bengaluru police.

“The Commission finds it necessary to recommend appropriate legal action as per law against the Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd (RCSPL)/RCB. DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd and the Karnataka State Cricket Association and in particular, Sri Raghuram Bhat, President KSCA, Sri A Shankar, Ex-Secretary, KSCA, Sri Jairam E S, Ex-Treasurer, KSCA, Sri Rajesh Menon, Vice-President, RCSPL, Dr T Venkat Vardhan, MD, DNA Entertainment Networks, Sri Sunil Mathur, Vice-President, DNA Entertainment Networks and Sri B Dayananda, IPS, Additional Director General and Commissioner of Police, Sri Vikash Kumar Vikash, IPS, Inspector General and Additional Commissioner of Police, West Bengaluru City, Sri Shekhar H Tekkanavar, IPS, DCP Central Division, Sri C Balakrishna, ACP, Cubbon Park Sub-Division, Sri Girish A K Pl,” it said.

Incidentally, in three FIRs registered on June 5 over the stampede case, the Bengaluru police have already named the RCB, the KSCA and the event management firm DNA Networks as the accused. Two DNA officials and an RCB official who were initially arrested in the case on June 6 have been granted bail, while the KSCA and other RCB and DNA officials have been granted protection against arrest by the Karnataka High Court.

The Karnataka government also suspended three IPS officers – including the then Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, additional commissioner of police Vikash Kumar Vikash, deputy commissioner of police Shekar Tekkanavar, along with two jurisdictional policemen, on June 5.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is conducting a probe into the criminality involved in the stadium stampede case, where the culpable homicide section has been invoked in the FIR. A magisterial inquiry has also been held.

What the judicial commission found

The Justice D’Cunha commission, appointed in the aftermath of the Karnataka High Court taking up a suo motu petition on the stampede deaths, has found that the Bengaluru police had provided security measures for the RCB celebration at the Chinnaswamy Stadium despite the lack of approval for a request made by the KSCA and RCB to hold the event on June 4 after the RCB won the IPL trophy on the night of June 3.

“The police officers themselves were found working on bandobast at the command of the additional director general and commissioner of police (police commissioner) apparently in collusion and in nexus with the organizers even before the activation of the arrangements by the organizers,” the report has stated.

“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 commission has stated.

The police “failed to stop the event knowing fully well that the event was unauthorized and that the event was organized in haste without proper security arrangements”, the report added.

The commission also squarely blames the RCB, DNA and KSCA for the tragedy.

“Stampede was triggered by the organisers themselves by not regulating the entry into the gates and making reckless announcements with regard to the entry into the stadium which in the opinion of the commission is the root cause for the stampede and the consequent death and injuries,” the commission has stated.

“This situation was created by the organizers themselves due to the lack of preparation and hasty decision which tantamount to recklessness bordering on gross negligence, for which the organizers should be made accountable,” the report stated.

“The security provided by the police was inadequate and ineffective to meet the exigency. Out of 515 men and officers deputed for bandobast, only 79 men and officers were posted outside the gates to manage and control the crowd. Even these men and officers were not visible at the venue during the crisis,” the report has pointed out.

Among other shortcomings indicated by the commission are that “staff working in the control room failed to alert the security staff positioned in and around the entry gates, contributing to the severity of the incident” and the “improper and unscientific installation of the barricades and the narrow constricted entry gates”.

“Despite the clear signs of overcrowding and rising risk, the exit gates were not opened in time, it was a serious act of negligence on the part of security authorities and absence of emergency protocols,” the report has stated.