Stampede incident: CM Siddaramaiah to reply in Assembly

Bengaluru, Aug 22 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will reply in the state Assembly on Friday to the questions raised by the BJP members regarding the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed the lives of 11 people.

Several police officers, including Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, were suspended following this incident on June 4.

The opposition BJP had raised the issue in the Assembly a few days ago and had demanded that the CM should apologise and resign from his position.

On Thursday, the BJP sought a reply from Siddaramaiah, to which he said he would answer on Friday morning.

Earlier, Home Minister G Parameshwara in the Assembly said, "In the stampede, 11 lives were lost. We suspended police officers and got a report on the stampede by the retired High Court Judge, Justice John Michael D’Cunha. But we cannot bring back the lives lost. Now what to do next? So, we brought the Crowd Management Bill." Parameswara said there was a need for a standard operating procedure to decide the facilities that should be available in crowded places. Accordingly, a draft has been prepared.

He noted that Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium was considered one of the best stadia in the country as it absorbs all the rainwater in no time, but it can hold only 33,000 people.

The minister said that Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is one of the beautiful stadia in the country with a capacity of one lakh audience.

"We need one lakh plus capacity stadium. We are giving land on Tumakuru Road to the KSCA. We should have a Cricket Academy also. So the CM had performed a groundbreaking ceremony," he explained.

He added that the government is also coming up with Sports City at Devanahalli.

Parameshwara said the state government always maintained that it should not interfere in sports activities.

"But now we feel that the government should be involved. So we have decided to bring some provisions for the activities," he added.

Noting that the matter (stampede issue) is in the court and hence it is subjudice, he refrained from speaking on it.

"We have to wait for the Court order; the government will decide accordingly," the minister said.

Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar should have replied on the issue since they were responsible for the stampede, but Parameshwara was asked to answer.

He also said the home minister did not speak about who gave the permission.

Ashoka alleged that the stampede was the outcome of a 'credit war' between the CM and his deputy, but the police officers paid the price as they were suspended, but were later reinstated.

"How did you go on to conduct the programme at Vidhana Soudha steps even after 11 deaths at the Chinnaswamy stadium? You committed a wrong. Government today is standing as an accused. I request you to accept it," Ashoka said.

Siddaramaiah said, "You have demanded my resignation as well as that of the Deputy CM and HM. I will answer this Friday morning." PTI GMS ADB