"Stadium Capacity 35,000 But 2-3 lakh Turned Up": Siddaramaiah On RCB Tragedy
Bengaluru:
Hours after 11 people died in a stampede today, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah admitted they did not expect such huge crowds to turn up at the IPL victory celebrations of RCB in Bengaluru. He expressed shock and extended condolences to the families of the 11 people. He said the "pain of this tragedy has also erased the joy of victory."
At a press conference this evening, the chief minister said they did not expect the tragedy as the stadium can accommodate 35,000 people.
The chief minister said the IPL final match continued till late Tuesday night. The state cricket association organised the victory celebrations, and the government also planned events as part of the occasion, he said.
"The crowd turnout exceeded all expectations. Over one lakh people gathered in front of Vidhana Soudha, but no untoward incident occurred at that venue. However, the tragedy occurred at Chinnaswamy Stadium. No one anticipated this - neither the cricket association nor the government. The stadium has a seating capacity of 35,000, but an estimated two to three lakh people turned up. We did not expect such a massive turnout; we had only anticipated a crowd equal to the stadium's capacity," Siddaramaiah said.
He announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those who were killed in the stampede, and free treatment for the injured.
The Karnataka BJP has demanded action and accountability over the lapses that led to the stampede.
Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra Yediyurappa said Siddaramaiah is answerable for the tragedy, and alleged the ruling Congress government was interested only in publicity than people's safety. He gave the example of how more than one lakh people turned up in the last world cup and the state government managed the crowds well.
"Was it not the responsibility of the state government to be prepared for this? More than 11 lives are lost. The chief minister should answer for this," the state BJP chief told NDTV.
"This is not the first time. In the last world cup, more than a lakh people were there. The state government managed the crowd. The state government was aware more than a lakh will turn up [today], should they have not been prepared?" he said. "Unfortunately, the state government was more interested in publicity than people's safety."
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