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Govt evading responsibility for stampede, says BJP
The BJP on Friday accused the Congress-led Karnataka government of avoiding responsibility for the stampede that killed 11 people during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory celebration on June 4
The BJP on Friday accused the Congress-led Karnataka government of avoiding responsibility for the stampede that killed 11 people during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory celebration on June 4. The party claimed that the state’s senior-most leaders used the event for political mileage while ignoring safety protocols.
At a press conference in Bengaluru, former deputy chief minister and BJP MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan called the government’s internal report “highly condemnable” and alleged that police officials had warned against the event but were made scapegoats. “Police officers had opposed the event. Yet they shifted the blame onto the police and RCB,” he said. “Even when people were dying, the Deputy Chief Minister was busy kissing the trophy. And the Chief Minister -- even after learning that people had died -- continued to enjoy masala dosa at a hotel.”
Ashwath Narayan also questioned how a celebration of this scale was organised near Vidhana Soudha without police approval. “Is this government being run by RCB, KSCA, and DNA? They should be ashamed. Taking people’s lives has become their ‘achievement’,” he added.
State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra claimed the government submitted an incomplete version of the judicial probe to the Karnataka High Court. “Justice Michael D’Cunha has not yet submitted a complete report. The CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar were in a race to claim credit for RCB’s win. Their desperate attempts for publicity led to the loss of 11 lives,” he said.
The state government had submitted a status report to the High Court on June 12, blaming the organisers -- RCB, DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd., and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) -- for failing to obtain permissions, underestimating the crowd, and neglecting safety measures. The report noted that the KSCA’s June 3 intimation to the Cubbon Park police was not a formal request and did not comply with licensing procedures.
On July 11, a two-volume report from a one-man judicial commission led by retired High Court judge John Michael Cunha was formally submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The report was placed before the cabinet on Thursday but was not discussed.
Justice Cunha’s inquiry held both the event organisers and senior police officers accountable. The report said the organisers failed to obtain mandatory permissions and licenses, stating, “The organisers were duty bound to obtain prior permission… but failed to obtain the requisite permission/license [and] failed to follow the procedures.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that the government will take up the findings of the judicial inquiry into the June 4 stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the next cabinet meeting. The stampede, which occurred during a public event celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL win, left 11 people dead and over 50 injured.
The Chief Minister confirmed that a two-volume report by retired High Court judge John Michael Cunha was submitted to the cabinet during its meeting on Thursday. However, it was not formally discussed. “The Cunha committee report was yesterday submitted to the cabinet. Gist of the report has been given to all Ministers. They will study and it will be discussed in the next cabinet meeting,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
When asked about the contents of the report, he declined to elaborate. “The media has reported certain things… I will speak about it after the next cabinet meeting,” he said.
The commission found that senior police officers knowingly allowed an unauthorised event to proceed. Those named include B Dayananda, then Bengaluru police commissioner; Vikash Kumar Vikash, additional commissioner (West); HT Shekhar, DCP (Central); and C Balakrishna, ACP (Cubbon Park). “Stampede was triggered by the organizers themselves by not regulating the entry into the gates and making reckless announcement… which in the opinion of the commission is the root cause for the stampede and the consequent death and injuries,” the report stated.
