Bengaluru: The Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said on Sunday that Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium would continue to host Indian Premier League (IPL) games, after months of uncertainty following the June 4 stampede outside the venue.
The stampede, which claimed 11 lives and left more than 50 people injured, took place as a large crowd gathered to celebrate the first IPL title of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Safety concerns around the Test venue led to the women’s World Cup matches this year being shifted to Navi Mumbai.
The Karnataka government has ordered a full structural assessment of the stadium before any matches are played. The Public Works Department has also issued a notice to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), instructing it to submit a detailed safety evaluation.
Speaking after casting his vote in the KSCA elections, Shivakumar said: “In the future, whatever mishaps happened in Karnataka, especially in Bengaluru, we will make sure such incidents do not recur. Going forward, we will conduct events in this KSCA stadium in a way that upholds the pride of Bengaluru. But we will do it properly, within the legal framework, and with better attention to crowd management while using this stadium.”
Addressing speculation that IPL matches might be shifted out, he said, “From now on, no IPL will be shifted. We will conduct it right here. This is the pride of Karnataka and Bengaluru, and we will protect it. Whatever needs to be done, we will ensure it is taken care of going forward.”
He said the government also plans to build another cricket stadium in the city. “Along with this, we will also develop an alternative stadium, a large one,” he said.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium, located on 17 acres of PWD land in central Bengaluru, must demonstrate structural stability before it can host matches in 2026.
The state government has also received the findings of a judicial commission led by retired high court judge John Michael D’Cunha, which examined the circumstances surrounding the stampede. The report criticised the stadium’s design and its surroundings, arguing that the location was unsuitable for large gatherings and that major events should not be held there until significant safety measures were in place.
“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 wrote.
The report found that all entry and exit gates opened directly onto public footpaths, leaving no space to manage crowds before gates opened. “The design and structure of the stadium were unsuitable and unsafe for mass gathering,” it said. “Spacious and organised holding areas for crowds were not provided at the entry, as a result, the audience were forced to queue up on the footpath or the road,” a situation the commission said endangered pedestrians and increased the likelihood of miscreants joining the crowd.
The commission advised that events attracting large audiences be shifted to venues equipped with proper transport links and emergency facilities.
Akshay M Hakay, Deputy Commissioner of Police (central), said multiple agencies had proposed a series of safety improvements. “We suggested several improvements as part of the joint security review,” he said. These included “adequate parking, holding areas for crowds, proper queue management with ticket checking and frisking, wider entry and exit gates for smooth movement, space for a triage centre, compliance with fire safety norms, dedicated emergency exits, and safe assembly points.”
He said that officials also recommended “food safety measures, installation of CCTV cameras, and a real-time crowd flow monitoring system to take timely steps in case of congestion.”
