CM Siddaramaiah expresses regret over Chinnaswamy stadium stampede, rejects resignation calls

Bengaluru, Aug 22 (PTI) Expressing “regret” over the death of 11 people in the June 4 stampede, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday told the Legislative Assembly that the incident had “deeply disturbed” him and said his government has taken all necessary steps to ensure justice for those affected.

Rejecting the opposition’s demand for his resignation and that of senior cabinet colleagues, Siddaramaiah noted that 20 stampedes had taken place in BJP-ruled states in the last 10 years. He blamed “mass hysteria” for the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a large crowd had gathered for the RCB team’s IPL victory celebrations.

Siddaramaiah was replying to a discussion in the Assembly on the incident in which 11 people died and 71 were injured.

Dissatisfied with his response, opposition BJP members staged a walkout.

“Leader of Opposition Ashoka said that if I had heart and humanity, I should have accepted it as a mistake and apologised. But I expressed regret that very day (soon after the stampede). In my political life, for more than 42 years as a legislator in this House, such a bitter incident has never occurred. I had never seen so many deaths due to a stampede,” Siddaramaiah said.

“I am still in sorrow. I have expressed regret, and I feel the pain of the young lives lost and the suffering of their parents. I remain deeply disturbed,” he added.

Responding to criticism that he had visited a restaurant on the day of the incident, Siddaramaiah clarified that his grandson had arrived from London the previous day. “Until Ponnanna (MLA and CM’s legal advisor) informed me at 5.30 pm on June 4, I was not aware of any deaths. That is the truth,” he said.

He added that when he contacted the Police Commissioner B Dayananda, he was told there had been only one death, though the toll had already risen to 11.

“The deceased were all youngsters aged between 13 and 29 years. Who knows what they might have achieved in life if they were alive? I am pained by their loss. When I saw the bodies in the hospital, I was deeply saddened. This incident should not have happened. I once again express regret,” the CM said.

Siddaramaiah said he had immediately ordered a magisterial probe by the Bengaluru city Deputy Commissioner and also set up a one-man judicial commission headed by retired Justice John Michael Cunha. Justice Cunha submitted his report on July 10, followed by the DC’s report on July 11.

Five police officers, including the then Bengaluru Police Commissioner, were suspended for lapses and for permitting the celebrations without precautions.

The CM’s political secretary was removed, and the Intelligence chief was transferred. Criminal cases were registered against the organisers, and four of their representatives were arrested, though they are now out on bail, he said.

“The High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident. The CID, which also probed the case, has completed its investigation and prepared a chargesheet. Once the court permits, we will file it,” he added.

Responding to senior BJP MLA Suresh Kumar’s accusation that the government was the “abettor” of the tragedy, Siddaramaiah said, “I will leave it to the people of the state to decide whether the government is an abettor or not.” He added that it was the RCB’s first IPL victory after 18 years. “Despite having only one or two players from Karnataka, people here felt the team belonged to the state and saw it as Bengaluru’s pride,” he said.

Listing out previous stampede tragedies in BJP-ruled states, Siddaramaiah referred to the August 3, 2008, Naina Devi temple stampede in Himachal Pradesh that killed 162 people, and the Chamunda Devi temple stampede in Jodhpur the same year that claimed 250 lives.

He also cited the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela stampede earlier this year, which killed 39 people, and the 2022 Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat.

Siddaramaiah further pointed to global stampede incidents, including at Sheffield in England, a football stadium in Indonesia, and one in Paris, noting that “stampedes have been happening across the world for several years.” Responding to the BJP’s demand that he apologise and resign, the CM said: “BJP was in power during these incidents. BJP leaders were Chief Ministers. Did any of them resign or apologise? Did Yogi Adityanath resign as UP CM after the Kumbh Mela stampede in Prayagraj, in which 39 people were killed?” He also questioned the large public celebrations held in Ahmedabad in May 2022 after the Gujarat Titans’ IPL victory during the peak of Covid.

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah and his family, along with the Gujarat CM (Bhupendra Patel), participated. Did anyone resign then?” he asked.

Citing the death of 36 people due to oxygen shortages in Chamarajanagar during Covid, and incidents of police firing under BJP rule, he added, “Did anyone resign or apologise then? Was anyone called an abettor?” Siddaramaiah urged politicians "to refrain from exploiting tragic incidents for political gain." PTI KSU SSK ROH