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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah defended his attendance at an event linked to a deadly stampede, saying he was invited by the KSCA and unaware of the chaos. The incident left 11 people dead and many injured
Bengaluru:
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, facing a barrage of criticism over the stampede in Bengaluru last week, today said he was present at the event only because he was invited and was told that the Governor would also attend.
“The secretary and treasurer of KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) came and invited me to the event. We didn’t organise the function, the KSCA did,” Mr Siddaramaiah told reporters today.
“They also informed me that the Governor is also coming, I only went there. I don’t know anything apart from that I only went there after I was invited, they didn’t invite me to the stadium,” he added.
The Chief Minister and the other leaders were present outside the Vidhan Soudha near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the day’s victory march of fans ended and there, they had met the cricketers.
But the VIP presence had divided the police strength, spreading the 1500-strong police force too thin on the ground. The state’s Opposition BJP had pointed to this as one of the key causes of the stampede that occurred shortly after at the stadium.
The state has accused the police for not making adequate preparations to handle the event. Three top officers of the force, including the city police chief, have been accused of “dereliction of duty” and suspended.
The action against the police has incensed the BJP, which said they have been made scapegoat in the matter. Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka assembly R Ashoka has alleged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar were directly responsible for the stampede.
Eleven people died and 47 were injured during the stampede during the felicitation of the RCB players after they won their maiden IPL tournament. Lakhs of fans, who had waited 18 years for the day, had gathered at the Chinnaswamy stadium and made a beeline for the gate after the RCB announced that entry was free.
The state’s Criminal Investigation Department is investigating the matter. The Chief Minister had ordered an inquiry into the incident earlier by a one-man Commission of retired High Court judge Justice Michael Cunha.
On Friday, four people, including the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Marketing Head and DNA Event Management Company staffers, were arrested.
