‘Ban’ casts shadow over top-flight cricket in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Cricket in Bengaluru has rarely faced a crisis of this nature. The June 4 stampede that claimed 11 lives and left scores injured during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations has cast a dark shadow over top-flight cricket in the City. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the scene of the tragedy, has since turned into a playground for blame-shifting and ego clashes with each party seeking to absolve itself while pointing fingers at others.

While Karnataka State Cricket Association and RCB -- the hosts of the victory celebration event and organisers respectively -- are understandably in the dock, the State government hasn't covered itself in glory by its attempt to shirk responsibility. The Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister had played prominent roles in the celebrations -- from hosting the team in front of the Vidhana Soudha to the DCM leading the cavalcade at the airport to eventually joining the festivities at the stadium. To now distance themselves from the chain of unfortunate events seems bizarre.

The Justice Michael D'Cunha Commission, which looked into the stampede, made a critical assessment that the Stadium was "unsuitable and unsafe for mass gatherings" while suggesting structural changes and design modifications.  

“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 stated.

For the embattled government, however, the report has now become a stick to beat the KSCA with. It denied the organisation the permission to host the Maharaja Trophy T20 tournament, which was eventually held in Mysuru with restrictions on crowd entry, and set stringent guidelines before going ahead with the Women's ODI World Cup matches which were allotted to Chinnaswamy. Given the implausibility of implementing the measures set by the City cops in a time-bound manner, the matches had to be moved to Navi Mumbai.

For example, one of the conditions was providing a dedicated parking lot to vehicles. No cricket stadium in the world has such a facility because it's just not practical. It's as good as putting a ban without stating it in as many words.     

What, though, must not be forgotten is that June 4 wasn't about a cricket match. Nearly three lakh people had landed there assuming there would be a free entry or free passes would be distributed. The police presence for such a large gathering was woefully inadequate and organisation machinery was lax. It was a disaster waiting to happen. The stadium has a history of hosting matches for 50 years, including Test matches, ODIs and ICC white-ball spectacles, without a comparable mishap, barring a few minor incidents during ticket sales. 

Let's further see why the government's decision has no rationale. While barely a few hundred fans come for domestic matches, internationals are ticketed and there's no scope for a large crowd, the size of which one saw on June 4, to gather. Also, on that fateful day, there was barely a few hours' turnaround time for the cops to turn up in full strength after patrolling the entire city even as ecstatic fans celebrated RCB's win till the wee hours of June 4. Ahead of a match, however, there is always ample time to put in place a coordinated system with all the agencies concerned for the smooth conduct. And it's been done for half a century! 

Yes, Bengaluru has outgrown the stadium. Built in 1974, the Chinnaswamy may no longer meet the demands of the city bursting at its seams. But a blanket ban on cricket can't be the solution. By that logic, every pothole-ridden road that claims dozens of lives each year will have to be shut down until fixed. The June 4 tragedy was heartbreaking and nothing can compensate the affected families. But the way forward lies in corrective measures, both short-term and long-term, not in vindictive actions that serve little beyond massaging bruised egos.