Bengaluru stampede: Siddaramaiah slams BJP for staging protest seeking his resignation
The chief minister asked the BJP leaders to seek the resignation of those responsible for the Ahmedabad plane crash, collapse of a pedestrian suspension bridge in Morbi in Gujarat and stampede during the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh.
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Business Standard
36 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Bengaluru stampede: BJP demands resignation, Siddaramaiah responds
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has demanded his resignation along with those of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara, following the stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead. 'Regarding the tragic stampede incident near Chinnaswamy Stadium, I request the BJP leaders in the state to first release a list of BJP leaders who resigned during similar incidents in the past before demanding our resignation,' Siddaramaiah said during a media briefing. BJP holds protest at Freedom Park BJP leaders held a protest at Bengaluru's Freedom Park demanding accountability for the incident, which occurred during celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title. 'RCB won the match and people were enjoying it. But what did the government have to do with it? They called people to celebrate… Vidhana Soudha is not a playground,' said BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy to ANI. 'To take credit, this government messed up and 11 people died. Yet, it refuses to accept its mistake.' Calling the accident "unfortunate", Siddaramaiah emphasised that the Congress-led state government has taken full accountability. 'As a responsible government, we have taken accountability for the incident,' he said. 'We have suspended senior police officers, including the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, and transferred the Chief of the State Intelligence Department. My political secretary has also been relieved of his duties.' High-level judicial probe ordered Siddaramaiah also confirmed that a judicial investigation will be conducted by retired High Court Justice John Michael Cunha. 'We have constituted a one-member commission led by retired Justice Cunha to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter,' he said. Stampede details The stampede occurred on June 4, outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, during a felicitation ceremony for RCB players organized by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). The event saw a massive turnout, with several state leaders including CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM Shivakumar in attendance. The chaotic crowd surge resulted in 11 fatalities and 56 injuries. In response to the tragedy, the Karnataka government announced an ex gratia compensation of ₹25 lakh each for the families of the deceased.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Bengaluru stampede: BJP demands Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar's resignation, CM points to tragedies under its watch
The Karnataka BJP Tuesday held a protest at Freedom Park in the city, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara over the Bengaluru stampede. During the demonstration, the BJP leaders reiterated their demand for a three-day special Assembly session to discuss the tragedy. Siddaramaiah, however, hit back at the Opposition by pointing to the tragedies that had taken place during the BJP's rule and said that the party had no moral authority to demand the resignation of leaders in Karnataka. Eleven people were killed in the stampede that took place on June 4 outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a day after Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden Indian Premier League title. After the protest, Leader of Opposition R Ashok said the Karnataka High Court taking up a case suo motu regarding the stampede showed that the court did not trust the government. Commenting on multiple probes launched into the stampede, he said that there was no clarity on any of the investigations announced by the state. Ashok alleged that people lost their lives as 'CM Siddaramaiah and his family (were) taking photos with cricketers', contending that the government itself invited people to Vidhana Soudha. 'Had they not issued such an invitation, this tragedy would not have occurred,' he said, demanding a three-day special session of the legislature. Responding to the same, Siddaramaiah issued a statement saying, 'BJP leaders in the state, first, to release a list of BJP leaders who resigned during similar incidents in the past before demanding our resignation.' Calling the stampede at Chinnaswamy an 'unfortunate accident', he said that the state government had accountability for the incident. 'We have suspended senior police officers, including the Bengaluru city police commissioner, and transferred the chief of the state intelligence department. My political secretary has also been relieved of his duties,' he said. The protests by BJP leaders, despite measures taken by the government, make it evident that their motives are political and not driven by genuine concern for the people, he said. 'Politicising tragedies is not new to the BJP. It is ingrained in their DNA to pounce like vultures over every incident of death, accident, or violence,' the CM said. Siddaramaiah said that he felt 'compelled to expose their hypocrisy by bringing certain incidents during the BJP rule to the attention of the people. 'In 2002, during the Gujarat riots, approximately 2,000 innocent people from various communities lost their lives. Despite prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's suggestion to take responsibility and resign, then chief minister Narendra Modi neither stepped down nor expressed any remorse to date. Those demanding our resignation should first address this,' he said. Siddaramaiah sought accountability over the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the violence in Manipur over the last two years, the Morbi Bridge collapse in Gujarat that claimed 140 lives and the stampede at the Mahakumbh in Uttar Pradesh earlier this year. 'In the stampede case, preliminary action has been taken against those who appeared negligent. A comprehensive and impartial investigation is being conducted under the leadership of a retired judge. Based on the commission's report, strict action will be taken against the culprits without hesitation,' he said.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
SFI meeting urges people to extend solidarity with Palestine
Former MLC K.S. Lakshmana Rao on Tuesday raised serious concern over the devastating humanitarian crisis caused by wars around the world, particularly in Palestine, where countless families have lost their homes and are living under miserable conditions. He was speaking at a seminar titled 'Say No to War', organised by the Andhra Pradesh Student Federation of India (SFI) as part of a nation-wide awareness programme coinciding with the 18th All-India Conference of the federation being held at Kozhikode in Kerala. Mr. Lakshmana Rao said that the daily life of Palestinians has been marked by constant restrictions, violence and oppression. The event was organised to raise awareness among students about the need for global peace and an end to wars. He added that it was not merely a political or geographical issue, but a humanitarian crisis and criticised the United States of America (U.S.A.) for 'fuelling wars worldwide to assert its dominance'. He also condemned the BJP-led NDA government's foreign policy, accusing it of acting like a puppet in the hands of U.S.. SFI's State secretary K. Prasanna Kumar said that wars, regardless of where they occurred, resulted in grave human loss and called for solidarity with Palestine as a stand for peace, equality and humanity. He said that everybody should support a free and sovereign Palestine. The student federation leaders paid tributes to M. Saibaba, who served as the organisation's city president in Vijayawada in the past. The federation's State president P. Rammohan Rao, vice-presidents Ch. Venkateswara Rao and M. Kiran, State committee members Samaram, Amulya, Navita, Sai, Ganesh Nayak, Praneeth, Shanmukh, Kumar, Madhav and others were also present.
