Congress top brass assures state unit of no intervention in stampede probe
Days after the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives, the Congress high command on Tuesday assured Karnataka's leadership that it will not intervene in the ongoing judicial investigation into the incident. Meanwhile the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its decision to hold a series of protests from June 13 against the Congress-led state government.
At a meeting in New Delhi, chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar briefed the party's high command — including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi — on the measures taken by the state government in the wake of the tragedy that occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebrations outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
After the meeting, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal told reporters that the leadership was briefed about the stampede and the government's response. 'We also discussed the current political situation, including the tragic incident that happened in Bengaluru. CM and PCC president briefed the leadership about the incident and the action taken by the government afterwards. We are concerned about every single life. We didn't want to get involved already, a judicial probe has been ordered, but we want the probe to be completed in a fixed tenure,' he said.
Venugopal also underscored the party's decision to refrain from interfering in the probe process. 'Certainly, we are very much concerned about every human life. We are the party that believes every life matters more. An unfortunate incident happened. The government of Karnataka has already ordered a judicial enquiry to find out what exactly occurred,' he said.
'During the course of the judicial enquiry, the party does not want to delve into the nitty-gritty of the issue. But, generally, the party has clearly viewed that there should be a clear-cut pro-people attitude on this as well,' he added.
Siddaramaiah later confirmed that two issues were highlighted in the meeting: the caste census and the stampede incident. 'The steps taken by the government after the stampede — judicial inquiry, interrogation by a retired High Court judge, suspension of police and intelligence officers, etc. — were explained to the high command,' he said.
Meanwhile, the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced a series of protests from June 13, starting with a rally at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, followed by a march to the chief minister's residence. Further demonstrations are planned in all assembly constituencies on June 16.
'About 15,000 to 20,000 party workers, people who are angry with the government and families of the deceased will take part in the protest,' said BJP state president BY Vijayendra.
He alleged that the tragedy resulted from poor planning and a power struggle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who, according to him, were competing to gain political mileage from RCB's title win. 'The competition between CM and deputy CM led to two separate events. After the CM planned one at the Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar used his influence to organise another at the stadium,' Vijayendra claimed. 'Shivakumar rushed to the airport as though he himself was a champion and welcomed them, we have seen the visuals,' he added.
The BJP leader further accused the government of ignoring police warnings. He cited a letter from the deputy commissioner of police (Vidhana Soudha Security), which allegedly advised against the Vidhana Soudha event. 'The government did not take the letter seriously and permission was granted, as they were eager for publicity encashing from the RCB's victory,' he said.
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