Karnataka CM Responds To Fatal Bengaluru Stadium Incident, Cites Historical Precedents
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a press conference Thursday following the devastating stampede at a Bengaluru stadium that resulted in 11 fatalities and approximately 50 injuries. During his address to the media, the Chief Minister acknowledged the occurrence of similar incidents in the past while clarifying his position on the tragedy.
"Multiple stampede incidents have taken place previously," Siddaramaiah stated, while emphasizing that his comments should not be interpreted as justification for the current incident. He specifically mentioned the Kumbh Mela stampede from earlier this year as an example, but stressed his intent was not to defend the Bengaluru tragedy.
The Chief Minister explained the circumstances that led to the disaster, highlighting the massive disparity between expected and actual attendance. While the stadium's official capacity stands at 35,000 people, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 individuals gathered at the venue, creating an unprecedented situation that overwhelmed the facility's safety measures.
Siddaramaiah also drew attention to a contrasting scenario that occurred at Vidhan Soudha, where more than 100,000 people assembled without any adverse incidents. This comparison underscored the unpredictable nature of crowd management and the specific challenges faced at the stadium location.
The Chief Minister's remarks came as authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the stampede and work to prevent similar tragedies in the future. The incident has raised serious questions about crowd control measures and safety protocols at large public gatherings in the state.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
35 minutes ago
- Hans India
Take action against Siddaramaiah over stampede tragedy: Shobha Karandlaje asks Cong leadership
Bengaluru: Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Saturday challenged the Congress leadership to initiate action against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over the Chinnaswamy stampede incident, which claimed 11 lives. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Bengaluru, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment, said, "If the High Command has any capacity, I want to ask the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, are you bankrupt? Are there no leaders in Karnataka other than CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar?" "Appoint other leaders and investigate them. You talk about the country on foreign soil; don't you have the capacity to punish your own leaders when they are found guilty?" she said. The MoS said that the Congress leadership was mum as "Karnataka is its ATM". Countering the Congress' claim that the stampede incident was an accident, she asked, "If it is an accident, why didn't you open all the gates of Chinnaswamy Stadium? There was no one to control the crowd. Why are you protecting Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) office bearers? What's your relation with them? What was the urgency for the KSCA to felicitate RCB? What is your relation with RCB, which is a private franchise?" Attacking Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, she stated, "You got blood on your hands, and you can't escape. This tragedy occurred due to a craze for publicity. I don't know whether someone from the state Congress will become an IPL franchise owner. Anything can happen in the state." "The parents have lost their young children in the stampede. A youth studying in my constituency died. The family is now in such a state of depression that they didn't want to bring his body to their residence in Bengaluru and took it to their native place. They clearly said they wanted no one to visit them," she recounted. "You have committed a mistake and are passing the blame on the police officers. I want to ask CM and Dy CM, why did you want to celebrate it? We can understand if an Olympic gold medallist or champion teams representing the country are felicitated. When a private franchise like the RCB wins, you think of felicitating them," she questioned. "You post about it and go to receive them at the airport. The grand steps of Vidhana Soudha were used for swearing-in ceremonies of new governments. There, you bring a private team. The PWD Department, while giving permission, stated that seating arrangements had to be made on stage for only 25 to 30 persons. But your family, children, grandchildren from CM Siddaramaiah, Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan, Minister Ramalinga Reddy-there were 300 to 350 persons," she chided. "In front of you, people stood unsafely on the terrace of the High Court; people were seen dangerously sitting on top of trees on branches. How did you issue permission?" she asked.
The Hindu
41 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Stadium stampede: Karnataka Congress appears to be in panic mode after high command pulls up both CM, Dy. CM
The ruling Congress in Karnataka appears to be in a panic mode after a stampede claimed the lives of 11 cricket fans outside Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, a day after the stupendous victory of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League that sent fans into raptures. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who took a lead in the celebrations, have taken drastic actions, including suspending Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, and dismissing K. Govindaraju, MLC, from the post of political secretary to the Chief Minister. This was apparently after the Congress high command took the government to task for its 'mishandling of the ground situation'. Multiple sources in the Congress told The Hindu that the party's central leaders spoke to Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar, who is also the KPCC president, and pulled up both leaders for allowing the celebrations without adhering to any norms. Multiple leaders call Embarrassed over the tragic turn of events during the RCB's victory celebration, Congress central leaders, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, and AICC general (organisation) and MP K.C. Venugopal, have reportedly spoken to the two top leaders and pointedly questioned the 'hurried celebrations'. Apparently, the party high command has summoned the State's two top leaders to New Delhi this week to explain the tragic events, sources said. It was only after the central leaders' nudge that the Siddaramaiah-led government appointed a one-man judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge John Michael D'Cunha to probe the incident and handed the case over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), even though a magisterial inquiry was already ordered on the same night, party sources said. They claimed that the presence of the Chief Minister's grandson and Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan's son on the Vidhana Soudha dais was another negative point. Mr. Shivakumar rushing to the HAL airport to welcome the victorious RCB team, holding the RCB flag, and trying to take the credit through a photo-op, and deciding to continue the celebration at the stadium even when deaths were reported, have not gone down well with the Congress establishment in Delhi, it is learnt. At Cabinet meeting Sources said during the State Cabinet meeting held on June 5 several Ministers expressed their dismay and demanded drastic actions against officials responsible for the tragedy. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, MLC and son of Mr. Siddaramaiah, also admitted that the government was under pressure to felicitate the team, but there were lapses in assessing the ground situation. Amid the ongoing power tussle between the top two leaders, both Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar seem to be trying to save their skin by laying the blame on somebody else's doorstep. In what appears to be a carefully crafted administrative move, Mr. Siddaramaiah has managed to hold on to officers loyal to him while turning the political heat on Mr. Shivakumar, who took the lead in the celebrations from the airport to the stadium, some party sources said. The political implications of the stampede and reshuffle of IPS officers appear to be significant, as both Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar are constantly locked in a game of one-upmanship, with the latter nursing his chief ministerial ambition. In the meanwhile, reports circulating regarding Chief Secretary Sahlini Rajneesh granting approval in the morning for the RCB celebration even before the final was played have emerged as another sore point.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
What Next For Suspended Bengaluru Police Chief: 5 Points
Bengaluru: The suspension of Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand by the ruling Congress government in Karnataka over the stampede during RCB's IPL victory celebration has sparked a massive political row. We look at what lies ahead for the top cop. Here are the 5 key points in this development All eyes are on whether the Union government will ratify the police commissioner's suspension. Leaders of the opposition BJP in Karnataka have criticised the Siddaramaiah government for scapegoating the top cop and other senior police officers. As per rules, the Union government has to ratify the suspension of the police commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, within 30 days. No action on the Centre's part would be taken as ratification. Many IPS officers are standing solidly behind the suspended top cop. They have asked BJP leaders to request the Centre not to ratify the decision taken by the Siddaramaiah government. Former Bengaluru police commissioner and BJP leader Bhaskar Rao said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah "has gone into panic mode". Mr Rao said he will also ask his party to demand revocation of the suspension. The action against the top cop and other police officers over the stampede has affected the morale of the force, sources said. "The suspension of Bengaluru City Police Commissioner is the darkest day in the history of Karnataka police. The prize for telling the truth and he and his team slogged the whole night to keep Bengaluru safe," Mr Rao said in a post on X.
