Bengaluru, July 11: The one-man commission headed by retired Justice Michael D’Cunha submitted its much-anticipated report on the June 4 Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday. The tragedy, which occurred during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebration event, claimed 11 lives and left many injured.
The report, compiled in two volumes, was handed over at Vidhana Soudha in the presence of CM Siddaramaiah, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Legal Advisor and MLA A.S. Ponnanna, and other senior officials.
While the content of the report remains confidential, CM Siddaramaiah stated, “I have not read the report yet. It will be discussed in the Cabinet meeting on July 17. No conclusions will be drawn until all aspects are thoroughly debated.”
The Karnataka government had ordered a three-pronged probe into the incident: a magisterial inquiry by the Deputy Commissioner, a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe, and a judicial probe by the D’Cunha Commission. This multi-agency investigation has drawn criticism from Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who questioned the rationale behind ordering overlapping probes.
The FIR filed by Karnataka Police blamed the RCB franchise, event firm DNA, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for organizing the event without mandatory approvals. All three entities have denied the allegations, claiming the state is trying to deflect responsibility.
The Justice D’Cunha-led Commission has also been investigating other high-profile cases, including the Covid-19 scam and oxygen-related deaths in Chamarajanagar. However, for the stampede case, the panel was given a one-month deadline to submit its findings, later extended until August 31, 2025.
The government is expected to make the report public following Cabinet review.
