Bengaluru:
Karnataka minister HD Kumaraswamy has squarely blamed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the stampede in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives, citing alleged administrative lapses and politically motivated interference in the event organisation.
“Chief Minister responsible for crowd surge, cops did everything they could,” Mr Kumaraswamy told NDTV.
The stampede occurred on the evening of Wednesday, 4 June, when a massive crowd gathered outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to attend a felicitation event for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team following their Indian Premier League (IPL) championship victory-their first since the league’s inception 18 years ago. Tens of thousands arrived at the gates, far exceeding the stadium’s official capacity of 35,000.
“But who gave permission to hold the event in front of Vidhana Soudha before that? Who sought the permission? Who granted it? It was the ministers from this government, their family members, and MLAs who were gathering there. Clashes started right there. Some people began throwing chappals and stones. That also happened,” Mr Kumaraswamy told NDTV.
He further claimed that the earliest signs of unrest and overcrowding occurred by 3:10 PM, with reports of clashes and objects such as footwear and stones being hurled. Despite this, Mr Kumaraswamy alleged, the programme continued at Vidhana Soudha until 4:00 PM.
“Even after receiving the news, Shri Siddaramaiah went with his grandson to a hotel. They were happily enjoying masala dosa. Bodies were lying on the street – 11 of them. There was no courtesy shown to visit the area immediately. At the hospital, more than 30 to 40 injured persons had been admitted. He was enjoying with his family even after such an incident had taken place,” the former Karnataka Chief Minister claimed.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah rejected the accusations, accusing the opposition of politicising a tragedy.
Responding to Mr Kumaraswamy’s allegations, Mr Siddaramaiah said: “The BJP is just doing politics, we won’t do politics. Those who are responsible and those who didn’t do their job, we have taken action against them.”
Mr Siddaramaiah on Thursday suspended Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda and several other senior police officials in connection with the stampede.
The government also instructed the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DGP & IGP) to arrest representatives of RCB, the event management firm DNA Entertainment Pvt Ltd, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), citing evidence of negligence.
According to police, celebrations had erupted late Tuesday night after RCB’s victory, with fans thronging central Bengaluru locations such as MG Road, Church Street, UB City, and Vittal Mallya Road. Police deployment continued until early Wednesday morning.
