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BJP accuses Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar of abetting RCB stampede

BJP accuses Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar of abetting RCB stampede

Time of India21 hours ago
Bengaluru: The opposition BJP accused the
govt of "abetting" the stampede that occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebrations at M Chinnaswamy stadium on June 4, and demanded a CBI investigation.
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Eleven people died in the incident.
The accusation came during a discussion under Rule 69, with opposition leader R Ashoka and BJP veteran S Suresh Kumar leading the attack. Ashoka, in a two-and-a-half-hour speech, alleged the govt was complacent and failed to anticipate the massive turnout despite repeated warnings from all quarters.
"In your hurried intent to lap up popularity and affection of the people, you rushed into the celebratory event… If it was not so, then why did traffic police decide to draw up traffic diversions around the stadium?" he asked.
Drawing a parallel with suicide cases, Kumar said: "This govt is an abettor in this tragedy." BJP demanded a joint house committee and a CBI inquiry, along with "an unconditional apology from the govt" to families of the victims.
Ashoka called it a total failure of crowd management, saying, "Who gave permission for the celebration? Who finalised the SOP? Were ambulances kept ready?" He insisted a case of negligence causing death should have been filed, adding, "I fail to understand what the CM and deputy CM were doing."
He criticised the IPL, alleging it fuels betting among the poor: "My own cook indulged in theft to get money for betting," Ashoka said.
He accused the govt of seeking political mileage, while presenting govt letters to top officials as evidence of official permission. "Without directions from the CM and deputy CM, it would have been impossible for DPAR to permit the event," he said.
Quoting Justice Michael D'Cunha's report, he said directions from the CMO to RCB and event managers were documented.
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"If the govt had spent just five minutes thinking about it on June 4, the tragedy could have been prevented," Ashoka said.
Yatnal berates Ashoka
Suspended BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal, meanwhile, castigated opposition leader R Ashoka during the debate on the stampede, for shying away from directly blaming CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar.
"I have heard you since morning speaking about the faults of the administration, but nowhere are you fixing blame on the political leadership of this govt," Yatnal said, intervening in the discussion. "Say it in plain words that the CM and DCM are directly responsible for the tragedy."
Yatnal was suspended from BJP for six years for alleged anti-party activities.
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