Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has distanced his government from the June 4 stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. The tragedy occurred during the IPL victory celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and left 11 people dead and many others injured.
CM Says Stadium Incident Not Linked to Government
During a press conference, Siddaramaiah claimed the incident had no connection to the state government.
“This incident shouldn’t have happened. It happened at the Cricket stadium. I don’t have any connection with the cricket stadium,” he said.
CM Pins Blame on Officials
Furthermore, he held government officials responsible for the tragedy.
“It was an unfortunate incident, it shouldn’t have happened. Such an incident never happened after I became the CM. Prima facie it seems to have happened because of the officials’ fault, so we have taken action. Everyone is in pain, including me,” he said.
Government Responds with Suspensions
In response, the government suspended several officials. When reporters asked if Police Commissioner B Dayananda was being made a scapegoat, Siddaramaiah clarified that multiple suspensions had been made.
“My political secretary, K Govindaraj, has been removed. We have taken a series of actions, not just the police commissioner alone,” he said.
CM Says He Was Informed Late
Moreover, Siddaramaiah stated he was unaware of the deaths until much later in the day.
“I came to know that deaths happened at 5.45 pm. At 3.50 pm, deaths were reported at the hospital, but I came to know about it only at 5.45 pm. Until that point, I was not aware of deaths taking place due to the stampede,” he explained.
CM Skipped Stadium Event but Attended Later Function
Although he missed the Chinnaswamy Stadium event, Siddaramaiah attended a later RCB felicitation in front of Vidhana Soudha. The Karnataka State Cricket Association invited him for the function.
Opposition Demands Resignation
Meanwhile, the BJP-led Opposition has demanded Siddaramaiah’s resignation. They accused him of negligence and poor management of the public event.
Government Announces Compensation
Finally, the Karnataka government announced ₹25 lakh as compensation for each family who lost a loved one in the stampede. This move came in the wake of widespread criticism.
