BJP MLAs donate one month salary to families of victims, demand CM & DyCM quit over Bengaluru stampede

BJP legislators protested at Bengaluru's Vidhana Soudha, demanding accountability for the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that killed 11.

BJP legislators marched to the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside Bengaluru's Vidhana Soudha on Sunday, urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to accept responsibility for the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that left 11 people dead.

Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly R Ashoka staged a protest against the state government regarding the Bengaluru stampede.((ANI Photo))

Front‑and‑centre in the protest was the announcement that every BJP MLA will contribute a full month’s salary to the families of the victims—an immediate gesture the party said contrasts with what it called the government’s sluggish response. The demonstrators also pressed the state to award each bereaved family ₹1 crore in compensation and to convene a special Assembly session dedicated to the tragedy.

Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka accused the Congress administration of ignoring police warnings issued as early as 4 June, when Vidhana Soudha police reportedly told the Chief Secretary that staff shortages made safe crowd management impossible. According to Ashoka, officers advised that no police personnel bring family members to the event; yet families attended, and security measures such as CCTV coverage were allegedly overlooked while drones—explicitly prohibited—were allowed.

Ashoka further charged that political one‑upmanship between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar took priority over public safety. “By noon the police had relayed the first fatality,” he said. “Eight children were already dead when the programme began, but it went ahead so the leaders could pose with a trophy. Their hearts are stone.”

BJP protesters vowed to sustain pressure until the government meets their compensation demand and a judicial probe delivers accountability for what they consider preventable deaths.