Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for politicising the stampede at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed 11 lives and left dozens injured. The incident occurred during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations on June 4.
Responding to allegations from the BJP that the Congress-led state government was scapegoating the police, Siddaramaiah told ANI that action had been taken against officials found “visibly responsible” and “negligent in their duty.”
“They [BJP] are doing this for politics. I don’t do politics. We have taken action against those who were found visibly responsible,” the Chief Minister said.
(Also Read: ‘Doesn’t listen to anyone’: Nikhil Kamath recalls what a politician said about suspended Bengaluru top cop B Dayananda)
Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra accused the government of acting under pressure, pointing out that key decisions, including the suspension of senior police officers and the registration of FIRs — only came after public outrage.
“The government acted only when pressure mounted. The real accused are Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and Home Minister G Parameshwara. They should be investigated,” Vijayendra said.
Police officers suspended
{{/usCountry}}“The government acted only when pressure mounted. The real accused are Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and Home Minister G Parameshwara. They should be investigated,” Vijayendra said.
Police officers suspended
{{/usCountry}}Following the tragedy, the government suspended multiple senior police officials, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda. He was replaced by senior IPS officer Seemant Kumar Singh, who officially took charge on Friday.
The list of suspended officers includes Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash, DCP (Central) Shekhar HT, ACP Balakrishna, and Cubbon Park Police Inspector Girish AK.
In parallel, Karnataka Police registered an FIR against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), event organisers DNA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), alleging “irresponsibility” and “carelessness” in crowd management.
In response, the KSCA board, including President Raghuram Bhat, Secretary A. Shankar, and Treasurer E.S. Jairam, filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the FIRs. The plea will be heard later on Friday by a bench led by Justice Krishna Kumar.
(Also Read: Bengaluru stampede: KSCA officials move High Court, seek quashing of FIR)