Bengaluru, 23 Dec

Permission has been denied to hold the Vijay Hazare Trophy cricket match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on December 24, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said on Tuesday.

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had sought permission to conduct the match without allowing spectators. However, the decision came after a committee constituted by the state Home Department examined the stadium and submitted its recommendations.

“There may be some confusion among you (media), whether there is permission to hold a cricket match or not. There is no need for confusion. As you are aware, our committee went there yesterday. Based on the committee's recommendation, permission has been rejected. So there is no match there tomorrow,” Singh told reporters.

He further said, “The committee had gone to the stadium yesterday on the instructions of the Home Department....as per the report of the department, permission has not been granted for the match tomorrow. The committee has given a detailed report, but as of now, the permission is not there.”

Singh declined to share details of the committee’s report, stating that he is a member of the panel.

The committee, headed by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) commissioner, includes the police commissioner and officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), Fire and Health departments, and the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM).

Cricket matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium have remained suspended since a stampede occurred outside the venue during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations on June 4, in which 11 people lost their lives.

On Monday, Home Minister G Parameshwara held a meeting with KSCA office bearers, senior officials and police officers at the Vidhana Soudha to review the situation. He had said that the police commissioner had already written to the KSCA, stressing the need to comply with 17 safety recommendations, and that the committee would assess compliance before informing the government.