Cabinet to decide on resumption of matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium
Bengaluru (PTI): The fate of hosting cricket matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium will be decided at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said.
Cricket matches have remained suspended at the stadium after celebrations marking Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL title win in June 2025 ended in tragedy, leaving 11 people dead and more than 30 injured in a stampede outside the venue.
Thousands of fans had gathered to catch a glimpse of the team.
To probe the incident and prevent such occurrences in the future, the Karnataka government constituted a committee headed by retired High Court judge Justice John Michael Cunha.
ALSO READ: SKM urges CM Siddaramaiah to press Centre on MSP law, loan waiver
The panel submitted a series of short-term and long-term recommendations aimed at strengthening crowd management and safety measures.
With the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and RCB pushing for the resumption of matches at the venue, the state government has maintained that games cannot be held unless the recommendations of the Justice Cunha Committee are implemented.
Speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said he would brief his Cabinet colleagues on his discussions with the KSCA and RCB regarding hosting IPL matches at the stadium.
The KSCA office-bearers and RCB representatives met the minister earlier in the day.
"We told them that if they want matches to take place, they must comply with the recommendations of the Justice John Michael Cunha Committee," Parameshwara said.
According to the minister, the KSCA and RCB have already implemented some of the short-term measures suggested by the panel.
He noted that the IPL season is set to begin soon and that, as defending champions, RCB are scheduled to play their opening match in Bengaluru in accordance with the norms.
Parameshwara added that the state government had also formed a committee comprising officials from the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the Bengaluru Police Commissioner’s Office, and representatives of various departments to assess the implementation of the Cunha Committee’s recommendations. The panel has submitted its report.
"We have received the report and examined its pros and cons. As the home minister, I was entrusted by the Cabinet with holding discussions with the stakeholders and briefing the ministers. I will place the matter before the Cabinet today, and a decision will be announced thereafter," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
_vb_69.jpeg)
