Pained by stampede, have no connection with cricket stadium: Siddaramaiah
'This incident shouldn't have happened, it happened at the Cricket stadium. I don't have any connection with the cricket stadium,' Siddaramaiah told reports here.
The CM also said, he was pained by the incident.
Mysuru, June 8 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that the stampede that killed 11 people outside the Chinnaswamy stadium shouldn't have happened and he 'didn't have any connection with the cricket stadium'.
The stampede occurred on June 4 evening in front of the Chinnaswamy stadium here, where a large number of people thronged to participate in the RCB team's IPL victory celebrations.
Opposition is demanding the resignation of chief minister and deputy chief minister in this issue.
He said, 'It was an unfortunate incident, it shouldn't have happened. Such an incident never happened after I became the CM. Prima facie it seems to have happened because of the officials' fault, so we have taken action. Everyone is in pain, including me.' Siddaramaiah said he attended the RCB team felicitation event in front of Vidhana Soudha on the invitation by Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA ) Secretary and Treasurer.
Asked about the allegation that the then Bengaluru Police commissioner B Dayananda was made scapegoat, he said, the Commissioner alone has not been suspended, five officers have been suspended, and the intelligence chief has been changed.
'My political secretary K Govindaraj has been removed. We have taken a series of actions, not the police commissioner alone,' he added.
On the issue of transfering Hindutva activist Suhas Shetty's murder case to NIA he said, 'DGP has spoke to me and I have asked him to consult advocate general after that decision can be made.' PTI KSU ADB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
37 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Heard of stampede deaths later in evening: Karnataka CM
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that he became aware of the deaths caused by the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium only after 5.45pm on June 4, the day Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) held their IPL victory celebrations. The tragedy resulted in 11 fatalities and over 56 injuries. 'I came to know the deaths happened at 5.45pm. At 3.50pm, deaths were reported at the hospital, but I came to know about it only at 5.45pm. Until that point, I was not aware of deaths taking place due to the stampede. I have taken action against whoever has done wrong,' Siddaramaiah said. The CM's statement implied that he became aware of the incident only after the celebrations at Vidhana Soudha had concluded. He did not attend the event at Chinnaswamy Stadium, which began around 6.10pm and was attended by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The comments came a day after a letter came to light, written by Vidhana Soudha security officer MN Kariasavana who had flagged security concerns about holding the event outside the state assembly. 'Lakhs of people are supposed to come to Vidhana Soudha. Since there is a shortage of security personnel, security arrangements will be difficult,' he wrote to the department of personnel and administrative reforms secretary G Satyavanthi. Distancing himself from the event's organisation, the CM added, 'The incident happened near the cricket stadium. I have no connection with that. It should not have happened.' He explained that the event was organised by the cricket association. When asked about any planning meetings or involvement of top leaders, he denied any knowledge. He told reporters, 'Neither the Deputy Chief Minister…', then corrected himself saying, 'no, neither the Home Minister, nor I know about it (planning of meetings).' 'It was a normal procedure. The DPR secretary informed me about the event. I asked the Chief Secretary, and she said we could go ahead, especially since the police had agreed,' he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 'The KSCA Secretary and Treasurer met me and invited me. It is not organised by us. They had organised and I was invited. They told me that the Governor would also come... Other than that, I don't know anything. The government has nothing to do...I was not invited to the stadium event.' Responding to calls for his resignation, Siddaramaiah questioned the precedent, citing other tragedies where resignations were not demanded: 'A bridge fell off, did anyone resign then? In Kumbh Mela, 58 people died, did BJP or Kumaraswamy ask for the resignation of the Prime Minister?' Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) escalated its criticism of the Congress government over the tragedy. Senior BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition R Ashok and MLA Prabhu Bhamla Chavan, protested at the steps of Vidhana Soudha, holding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Home Minister G Parameshwara responsible and demanding their immediate resignations. 'The real culprits are the Chief Minister, the Deputy CM, and the Home Minister. All three should resign. This is the demand of the entire state,' Chavan said, accusing the government of scapegoating suspended police officers. 'They are being sacrificed to shield the ministers. We say, don't offer compensation. Instead, take moral responsibility and resign.' Ashok slammed the government for rushing the event without proper planning, resulting in loss of lives. 'This is not a government, it is a Tughlaq Durbar. Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar must step down,' he said, demanding compensation of ₹1 crore for each deceased and stressing the need for accountability. The BJP also opposed the suspension of police officers, including then Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, asserting the police had no fault as permission for the parade had been denied. 'The BJP stands with the police and will fight for them,' Ashok said. The BJP has announced plans to meet Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to seek his intervention and push for the dismissal of the government.
Deccan Herald
38 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
June 9, 2025: Best photos from around the world
Visitors look at a sand sculpture created by sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik celebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 11 years in office, at Puri beach, in Odisha, Sunday, June 8, 2025. Credit: PTI Photo A man waves a Mexican flag as smoke and flames rise from a burning vehicle during a protest against federal immigration sweeps, near Los Angeles City Hall, in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 8, 2025. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Nations League. Credit: Reuters Photo Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses with the trophy as he points to the clock after playing the longest ever men's singles final at Roland Garros in history. Credit: Reuters Photo
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Explosives used without alert ahead of Yogi Adityanath's Bahraich visit. BJP MLA flags ‘serious security lapse'
Two days ahead of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's proposed visit to Bahraich, a company authorised by the Union Petroleum Ministry allegedly used large quantity of explosives for drilling without informing the local administration, officials said. Local BJP MLA Surveshvar Singh termed the incident a 'serious security lapse' and demanded cancellation of the chief minister's visit. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Alok Prasad told news agency PTI that Alpha Geo India Limited was assigned the task of drilling and surveying for oil and gas deposits by the Petroleum Ministry. The firm used ammonium nitrate explosives for the survey. Though the company was carrying out government-sanctioned work, it failed to follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) and did not inform the local administration, he said. This caused panic among villagers and resentment among the public representatives. Upon receiving information, police and administrative staff reached the site and initiated an inquiry, the SDM added. He said that around 200 employees of the company were working in different shifts across multiple villages, most of whom are from West Bengal and face a language barrier with the locals. To ensure their safety amid growing tension, all employees were brought to the Hardi police station, he added. Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Durga Prasad Tiwari said the company had drilled up to 30 metres underground using ammonium nitrate without prior intimation to villagers or authorities. "Today, around 50-60 employees deployed on the field were called to the police station for questioning. No one has been detained so far. The decision on filing an FIR will be taken after further inquiry," he said. Raising alarm, Mahsi MLA Sureshvar Singh said with the chief minister scheduled to visit on Tuesday, the presence of hundreds of outsiders and 500 kilograms of explosives in the district is highly concerning. "Intelligence reports have warned of possible infiltration by 47 terrorists through the Indo-Nepal border. Imagine the security risk at an event where the chief minister and possibly the Prime Minister will be present, commemorating Maharaja Suheldev, he said. The MLA said he had spoken to the state's Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad and urged him to cancel the chief minister's visit until the matter is fully resolved. This is a serious security lapse. Kuldeep Sharma, a representative of Alpha Geo India Limited, admitted to the lapse. "We had informed the concerned authorities back in February. However, we should have informed them again before commencing work involving explosives. Since today was Sunday, we proceeded without intimation, which was a mistake," he told the news agency PTI.
