Justice Michael Cunha Submits Report On Bengaluru Stampede That Killed 11 Outside Chinnaswamy Stadium
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Retired Justice Cunha submits inquiry report on the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium. The report highlights major lapses in crowd control and event planning.
Bengaluru: Today, on July 11, Retired Justice John Michael D Cunha reached the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru to hand over his detailed report on the tragic stampede that took place outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, 2025.
The Karnataka government had appointed a one-member judicial commission led by Justice Cunha to investigate the incident and had given a one-month deadline for the report’s submission.
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The stampede occurred when a huge crowd gathered to collect tickets for a T20 World Cup warm-up match between India and Bangladesh.
Due to poor crowd management and lack of proper arrangements, the situation quickly turned chaotic, leading to a stampede that claimed the lives of 11 people and left over 50 others injured.
The victims included students and daily wage workers who had waited in long queues since early morning.
Justice Cunha’s commission was tasked with examining the reasons behind the stampede, identifying lapses on the part of authorities, and recommending steps to avoid such incidents in the future.
After conducting multiple hearings, inspecting the stadium premises, and recording statements from eyewitnesses, police officials, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) members, and government representatives, the commission compiled a comprehensive report.
“Such a tragic incident could have been prevented with better planning and coordination among stakeholders,”
one of the sources close to the inquiry quoted from the report.
The report also noted that
“basic crowd control mechanisms were missing,” and that “there was no coordination between the police and event organisers.”
Justice Cunha observed that
“the decision to issue physical tickets without digital alternatives led to unnecessary crowding.”
He also criticised the lack of barricading and crowd movement guidelines.
The report stated,
“There was a complete breakdown of basic security measures which should have been in place for an event of this scale,”
The report holds both the KSCA and local administration accountable for failing to anticipate the crowd turnout.
“No risk assessment was conducted prior to the distribution of tickets,” the commission observed, further adding that “the police were under-prepared and under-staffed.”
Family members of the victims had earlier demanded justice and compensation. The state government had announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh for each of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Following the submission of the report, the government is now expected to take action based on the recommendations.
“The lives lost cannot be brought back, but lessons must be learnt,”
the report concluded, urging the state to adopt a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for large gatherings in the future.
Also Read: CID to Probe Bengaluru Stadium Stampede That Killed 11: Karnataka Govt Tells High Court
With the report now submitted, the government has assured that
“appropriate action will be taken against those responsible after studying the commission’s findings.”
Click Here to Read Our Reports on Stampede