Bengaluru, June 5 (IANS) Union Minister for Large and Heavy Industries, H.D. Kumaraswamy, has said that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is responsible for the unfortunate stampede incident near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that claimed the lives of 11 people were killed while more than 30 others were left injured.
The incident took place on Wednesday while people were trying to enter the stadium to participate in the celebration event organised to mark the occasion of Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning its first-ever Indian Premier League trophy.
Addressing a late-night press conference at his official residence in New Delhi, Union Minister Kumaraswamy held the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister’s impatience, immaturity, and irresponsible behaviour responsible for the incident.
The Union Minister demanded that “the person responsible for this tragedy must be immediately sacked from the Cabinet”.
He criticised the Congress government in Karnataka as being run by “arrogant fools” and added, “It pains me to say this, but we have a Chief Minister who is completely inactive. He has no control over the Deputy Chief Minister. As for the Home Minister, there’s no point even discussing, he merely obeys commands. If told to sit, he sits; if told to stand, he stands.”
Referring to the state government’s felicitation event near Vidhana Soudha, Union Minister Kumaraswamy said, “While four people lay dead in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Deputy CM Shivakumar continued with the felicitation ceremony as if nothing had happened. How else do you describe such a government other than calling it an arrogant one?”
He expressed dismay over the state’s haste in organising a felicitation, saying: “On Tuesday night, the team won the IPL trophy. What was the rush to organise a felicitation event immediately? Who invited the team? Why this urgency? Everyone knows the role the Deputy CM played in all this.”
“Who rushed to the airport on Wednesday morning to receive the team? Who turned it into an event? It was just the Deputy CM and his entourage. Was this the D.K. Shivakumar’s RCB team?” he asked.
“Why hold two separate events? One programme, well-organised with proper preparation, would have been enough. There should have been appropriate security and caution. Instead, everything was rushed simply to glorify himself (Deputy CM Shivakumar). As a result of this recklessness, sports fans lost their lives,” Union Minister Kumaraswamy said.
He criticised the Deputy Chief Minister’s conduct at the stadium, saying: “After his show at Vidhana Soudha, the Deputy CM reached the stadium. Right outside the stadium lay the bodies of the deceased. Rather than stopping the event, he walked into the ground, lifted the trophy, and kissed it. Did he play the match and win the cup himself? Perhaps even the players didn’t get the opportunity to touch the trophy. In the middle of deaths, he used RCB’s win for his own PR and self-glorification.”
“This kind of recklessness cannot be tolerated. If the Chief Minister truly has any strength, courage, or leadership, he should start by removing such a person from his Cabinet,” the Union Minister demanded.
The Karnataka BJP unit has demanded the resignation of Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara and said that the underlying conflict between Deputy CM Shivakumar and the State Home Minister for the credit war has resulted in the tragedy of death of 11 persons in the stampede during the celebration event of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
On Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and BJP leader, R. Ashoka, in Bengaluru said, “The deaths that occurred this evening due to the stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium are, without a doubt, government-sponsored murders.”
“Deputy CM and Bengaluru In-charge Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who should have been at the spot overseeing the arrangements, instead went to the airport for a photo opportunity. Until the very last moment, the police lacked clarity on whether a parade should even take place,” LoP Ashoka said while criticising the Congress-led state government.
“There were no precautionary measures like ambulances, fire tenders, or any other emergency services near the stadium, where lakhs of people were expected to gather,” he added.
Hiting out at the state government, LoP Ashoka asked, “Why was there such confusion among the public, with conflicting reports, first stating that the RCB team parade would be in an open vehicle from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium, and then denying it? Why was there no clear clarification on this until the evening? Whose pressure prevented the police from taking a clear decision?”
He also said, “There are many questions that the CM Siddaramaiah-led government must answer. But first, Home Minister G. Parameshwara must immediately take moral responsibility and resign.”
“The Congress government’s reckless mismanagement has turned what should have been a moment of joy and celebration for the IPL champions, the RCB team, into a moment of tragedy, claiming innocent lives today,” LoP Ashoka added.
“The state government’s haste to take credit for the popular team RCB’s championship victory, without proper preparation, planning, or giving adequate time to the police for the felicitation ceremony, is the sole cause of this disaster,” he said.
“The IPL final match concluded only last night. The police personnel, who were busy maintaining law and order across the city all through the night, were suddenly asked this morning to provide security for such a large-scale event once again. The government’s clear failure and, more importantly, its irresponsibility are evident in its lack of basic understanding that this would be extremely difficult,” LoP Ashoka added.
“It’s clear that the government misjudged the sheer number of fans who would turn up to welcome the champion RCB team, see their favorite players, and participate in their celebrations. It seems this event could have been held on a weekend, taking more time to prepare for the anticipated crowd,” he said.
“The state government must take responsibility for these deaths and provide Rs 25 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased. It must also bear the full cost of treatment for the injured. The entire state shares in the sorrow of the unfortunate victims’ families,” LoP Ashoka added.
“Who is responsible for all of this? If CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar have even an ounce of humanity or conscience, after sacrificing innocent lives for their hunger for publicity, they should immediately resign and go home,” he said.
LoP Ashoka along with the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and BJP leader, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, visited the Vaideshi hospital and spoke to families and relatives of the injured persons.
The Karnataka government has said that at least 11 people have been killed and more than 30 others injured in the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The state government has announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and also ordered a magisterial probe.
–IANS
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