Bengaluru stampede: CM Siddaramaiah says he gave nod for RCB felicitation at Vidhana Soudha, denies links to stadium event
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is in the eye of a storm over the June 4 stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bengaluru that killed 11 people, has distanced himself from the celebrations held at the stadium following the IPL championship victory of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The Congress leader, however, acknowledged on Sunday that he had approved a felicitation for the cricket team on the portals of the Vidhana Soudha, the state government headquarters, and attended the event on the invitation of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Speaking in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah indicated that KSCA officials approached the state Department of Personnel and Administration (DPAR) for permission to conduct an event at which Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar would felicitate the RCB players at the Vidhana Soudha.
'The DPAR secretary was apprised of this, and granted permission. Of course, I was informed, and I said 'Give permission for the event at the Vidhana Soudha steps'. Has there been any incident on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha? Even the Governor of Karnataka attended the programme on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha,' Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress government, which facing a suo motu case taken up by the Karnataka High Court over the 11 deaths in the stampede, has ordered a judicial inquiry, a magisterial inquiry, and a probe by the state CID into the incident.
'Nothing untoward happened at the Vidhana Soudha. The incidents happened at the stadium. Who arranged the programme at the stadium?' he asked. 'In regular course, they informed the DPAR secretary. I was informed by the chief secretary. She said, 'Let us do it'. She said the police had agreed and I said, 'Let us do it'. The KSCA secretary and treasurer came and invited me for the event. It was not a function organised by us but by them. They said the Governor has also been invited. So, I went to the event. I do not know beyond this. I was not invited to the event at the stadium.'
He further added, 'The KSCA event was the responsibility of the police and the KSCA. The suspension of police officers was because they did not make proper arrangements. What has Sathyavathi (IAS officer and DPAR secretary) done wrong? Nothing happened at the Vidhana Soudha event.'
'This incident should not have happened. After I became the chief minister, no such incident had occurred. Prima facie, it is evident that this incident happened due to the mistakes of officials. We have taken action,' he said, adding, 'I have been pained by the incident. All are pained… The whole government is pained by the incident.'
Siddaramaiah rejected the argument that the organisation of two back-to-back events – one at the Vidhana Soudha and the second at the Chinnaswamy stadium located within one km of each other – caused the stampede, and suggested that the Bengaluru police displayed 'dereliction of duty' in making arrangements for the stadium event.
The Congress leader said, 'The question of the two events is different. The decision was to have the event outside the Vidhana Soudha, but the police made mistakes with respect to the other event (at the stadium). Who has to inform me about the bandobast for the events? It is the police. When we say the police, who does it imply in Bengaluru? It is the police commissioner. Did the police commissioner inform me about the arrangements?'
'The police have to inform the head of the government. The police have to say whether proper arrangements have been made in terms of security. They did not inform me. Is it not a serious thing?' the chief minister added.
Regarding allegations by the Opposition, he said, 'We have not sacrificed the police commissioner. Five people have been suspended. The intelligence chief has been transferred. My political secretary Govindaraju has been removed. We have taken a series of actions.' Govindaraju is an MLC and sports administrator who reportedly influenced the decision-making with respect to the RCB victory celebrations.
Siddaramaiah said, 'Why should the government be embarrassed when it has not committed a mistake? We have acted against those who committed errors. Did they provide resignations for the Kumbh Mela stampede tragedy, or when a bridge fell down a day after it was inaugurated? In the Kumbh Mela tragedy, over 50 people died, did anyone resign for it?'
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