“I request the BJP leaders in the state to first release a list of BJP leaders who resigned during similar incidents in the past before demanding our resignation,” the chief minister told news agency ANI.
The BJP workers were detained by the police in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The BJP organised a condolence meeting for the victims of the Bengaluru stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The BJP had announced a state-wide protest on Tuesday, demanding accountability from the Congress government for a stampede during the RCB victory parade in Bengaluru that killed 11 persons.
“What happened near Chinnaswamy Stadium is an unfortunate accident. As a responsible government, we have taken accountability for the incident. We have suspended senior police officers, including the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, and transferred the Chief of the State Intelligence Department,” the CM said.
The stampede took place during the IPL victory celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, drawing large crowds without sufficient safety measures in place.
“My political secretary has also been relieved of his duties. Additionally, we have constituted a one-member commission led by retired Justice John Michael Cunha to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter,” the CM said.
In the protest, the BJP demanded the resignation of Chief Minister and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. Originally planned for June 13, the protest was deferred to respect the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash, which occurred the same day.
The BJP has intensified its criticism of the Siddaramaiah government, accusing it of gross negligence and demanding the resignation of both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.
Speaking to the reporters, BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy asked the state government what they had to do with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning Indian Premier League (IPL). He stated that the victory celebrations should never have happened near the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Narayanswamy mentioned that the government called the people to celebrate RCB’s win, and for the sake of credit, “messed up” with the lives of 11 people.
“RCB won the (IPL) match and people were enjoying it. But what did the government have to do with it?…They called people to celebrate. Vidhana Soudha is not a playground, it should have been near the Chinnaswamy stadium. To take credit, this government messed up and 11 people died, yet the government did not accept its mistake,” Chalavadi Narayanaswamy told ANI.
Karnataka LoP writes to CM
On Sunday, Karnataka Leader of Opposition (LoP) R Ashok urged the state government to convene an emergency session of the legislature to discuss the stampede tragedy at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
In a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Ashok highlighted that the incident has raised serious questions about public safety, crowd control, and the organisation of sports and other events.
Eleven people died and more than 30 were injured in a stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy stadium as a huge crowd of nearly three lakh people had gathered to witness the victory celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for winning the Indian Premier League (IPL).
I request the BJP leaders in the state to first release a list of BJP leaders who resigned during similar incidents in the past before demanding our resignation.
Following the incident on June 4, the Karnataka government on June 5 suspended top police officials at the Cubbon Park Police Station and formed a one-man commission under a retired High Court Judge to probe the incident.
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