Karnataka: Of stampede, politics and a caste census
If that was the case, how did a legal provision, which rendered a report, prepared by spending over Rs 165 crore, redundant go unnoticed all these years? That is not clear. Rejecting a report for its findings is one thing but letting it become redundant due to authorities' inaction is another!
In any case, it is a major relief for Congress as the data from the 2015 SES could have put the party on a collision course with the dominant communities, Lingayats and Vokkaligas. However, the sudden change in the party's stand is seen as a temporary setback for Siddaramaiah. He had commissioned the 2015 survey during his first tenure as CM, from 2013-18.
Now, as the government prepares for a fresh survey it should ensure that all communities are taken into confidence about its intent and process. It should not descend into yet another tool for politics or create social fissures on caste lines.
While the politics over the caste census will go on, the State Government should not dodge its responsibility to do justice to victims of the stampede. It must introspect on the tragedy that exposed the shortcomings in the system. By the government's admission, the police failed; the CM was not informed for over two hours after the tragedy, and the event at the stadium was illegal as no formal permission was obtained.
But, merely blaming the Bengaluru police and pointing fingers at others does not absolve the government of its responsibility. It also points to the failure of the overseeing mechanism of the state administration. If there was no permission for the event at the stadium, why did the DyCM participate in it? Why cricket fans were invited to be part of the celebrations there?
Now, over 10 days after the stampede, the blame game continues. The BJP-JDS are blaming the political leadership, and the government faults the organisers. Congress is citing similar tragedies in other states to respond to opposition demands for CM's resignation.
It is better to keep politics aside and make earnest efforts to ensure that accountability is fixed and that the victims' families get justice. As the government gets busy with the caste census and the politics surrounding it, it should not lose sight of those who lost their dear ones, many of them ardent fans who rushed to the stadium to be part of the celebrations of RCB winning the trophy after 18 long years. They trusted the state to have taken adequate measures for their safety.
If those responsible for the stampede are not held accountable, if this concludes as yet another episode of political slugfest and buck-passing, it will bring disrepute to the state. Further, citizens will lose faith not just in the government, but in systems of governance and administration.
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