Bengaluru, Feb 11 Commenting on the possibility of permitting international and IPL cricket matches at Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said that if the compliance of safety recommendations by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is satisfactory, matches will be allowed; otherwise, permission will not be granted.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara, when asked about the meeting scheduled for Thursday, and whether there would be good news, said, "There is no question of good news or bad news. We will see how they have complied with the Justice Michael D’Cunha Committee recommendations. A committee has already been set up with the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh and others."
“We will discuss the matter tomorrow. The recommendations include short-term, medium-term and long-term measures. The short-term measures that were to be implemented immediately must be complied with. They will submit a report on compliance. The stadium has already been inspected twice. If we are satisfied with the compliance, we will allow matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium; otherwise, we will not,” he said.
When asked about action against police officers, including IPS officers, for their alleged lapses in connection with the stampede tragedy in which 11 persons were killed, Parameshwara said, "The procedure is underway. Everything has become normal now. They have been reinstated. The punishments if found guilty and inquiries will be finalised at a later stage. However, we cannot keep all those senior officers out indefinitely. The Chief Minister has decided to reinstate them, and action will proceed accordingly."
Notably, KSCA President and former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad had said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans would receive good news in the next two or three days. The decision on hosting international cricket matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will be taken by the Karnataka government at a crucial meeting scheduled for February 12.
The iconic stadium was denied permission to host cricket matches by the state government following the stampede during the victory celebrations of RCB's maiden IPL title on June 4, in which 11 people lost their lives.
Speaking about a theft case involving 200 grams of gold and cash reported from the Vidhana Soudha building in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said, "My main concern is how this bag went through the Vidhana Soudha entrance gates. I have ordered a probe into this. How the bag entered Vidhana Soudha, through which gate it came in, and how it reached a Minister's office unnoticed - these are matters I have asked to be investigated."
"All matters pertaining to whom the bag belongs to and to whom it was to be delivered should be probed. I have spoken to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner in this regard. The theft case is secondary; the real concern is how the bag entered Vidhana Soudha unnoticed despite CCTV cameras," he said.
It was through CCTV footage that the accused, identified as Naveen, was arrested. "But our concern is how the bag entered Vidhana Soudha," Parameshwara reiterated.
Commenting on an incident in Kalaburagi in which Mateen Patel, a supporter of Congress leader and Minister Priyank Kharge, was seen dancing with a gun, Parameshwara said, "Whoever it may be, we will take action. If anyone indulges in activities that are against the law, action will be taken. Which party they belong to comes later, but legal action will definitely be initiated. Even if they are close to anyone, no one is allowed to act against the law. The police will take strict action as per the law."
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