Key Points

Protesting the statement, BJP and JD(S) MLAs led by Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka staged a walkout.

Earlier, speaking about the incident, CM Siddaramaiah said, “The BJP has demanded that if I have a heart and humanity, I should apologise for the tragedy. I had already expressed my regrets on the day of the incident. In my 42 years as a legislator since 1983, no such incident has taken place. I have never seen 11 deaths in a stampede tragedy. We are grieving. I am still disturbed by the incident.”

“I came to know about the deaths only at 5.30 p.m. Until then, I was not aware. It is true that I went to a hotel to have dosa. My grandson had come from London, and I had taken him to the RCB players’ felicitation at the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha. My legal advisor, A.S. Ponnanna, informed me at 5.30 p.m. It is up to you whether to believe it or not. When I called the then Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, he said one person had died, but by then, 11 people had lost their lives. All of them were between 13 and 29 years old,” the CM said.

“Later, we went to the hospitals, and after seeing the bodies, I was deeply saddened. A magisterial inquiry was ordered immediately, followed by the appointment of a judicial commission to investigate and submit a report within a time frame,” he added.

The CM pointed out that in the last 10 years, 20 stampede incidents have been reported in India. “In the 2008 Nainadevi temple stampede in Himachal Pradesh, 162 were killed. In Rajasthan, 250 died in a stampede at Chamundadevi temple. In 2013, 45 were killed at Ratnaganj temple in Madhya Pradesh, 33 in Baheshwar, and 121 in Hatras, Uttar Pradesh. Recently, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, 39 people were killed in a stampede. In all these cases, BJP governments ruled the states, but no one took responsibility or resigned,” he said.

“These incidents are not confined to India. In 1989, the Sheffield stadium stampede in England killed 97 people. In 2013, three people were killed in America, and in 2022, 174 people died in Indonesia. Stampede incidents have been happening across the world for many years,” he added.

Targeting the BJP, Siddaramaiah said, “At the peak of the Covid pandemic, when the Gujarat IPL team won the trophy in 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the event with his wife. The Gujarat CM also participated. A procession was allowed in Ahmedabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held the ‘Howdy Modi’ event in 2020. Did any BJP CM order an inquiry or tender an apology?”

He further said, “During the Covid pandemic, 36 people died due to a lack of oxygen in Chamarajanagar in Karnataka. Was there any resignation then? Did anyone resign after the Air India flight tragedy that killed 267 people?”

BJP MLAs strongly objected to these references, claiming the CM was quoting out of context.

The CM responded by saying, “When B.S. Yediyurappa was CM in 2006, two farmers were killed in police firing. Did he resign then?”

On action taken, Siddaramaiah said, “We have suspended five senior police officers. The police had refused permission for the celebrations, but did not issue it in writing. RCB and KSCA posted tweets between 7.01 a.m. and 8 a.m. The 7.01 a.m. post received 16 lakh views, the 8 a.m. post four lakh views, and the 3.10 p.m. post 7.10 lakh views. Instead of acting, the police allowed the celebrations and did not get the posts deleted. They colluded with the organisers.”

“The justice will not be served merely if I apologise. Justice will prevail only when action is initiated. Criminal cases have been lodged against RCB, DNA, and KSCA. The case has been handed over to the CID. A chargesheet will be submitted after the court’s consent. We have fulfilled our responsibilities. This incident should never have happened. Once again, I express my regrets,” he stated.

Criticising the CM, Opposition leader Ashoka said, “CM Siddaramaiah is blaming everyone else while forgetting his own blunder. The question is, who gave permission? If the government did not permit the event, who allowed it?”

Siddaramaiah replied that the event was held without proper licensing orders. Ashoka countered, “In that case, how did Deputy CM Shivakumar attend an illegal programme?” The CM responded that he was unaware.

DyCM Shivakumar later clarified that he went to the Chinnaswamy Stadium at the request of the police department to ensure the programme ended within 10 minutes.

Former Home Minister and BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra asked why the government did not deploy 15,000 to 16,000 reserve police personnel available in Bengaluru at the time.

Ashoka stated that only 194 police personnel were present at the stadium. Siddaramaiah countered that 515 policemen were deployed, of whom 194 had signed the register. Ashoka maintained that the celebration was organised by the government and not the police department.

“The CM is only expressing regrets and refusing to apologise. We condemn the government’s move and stage a walkout,” he declared.

- IANS