Our Bureau
Bengaluru
Grand celebrations turned into a tragic mess as 11 innocent lives were lost to the stampede while 47 were injured at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy stadium. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah commented on the stampede and compared it with the tragic incidents that happened in the Kumbh Mela. The comment hasn’t gone well with MPs from Bhartiya Janta Party who have condemned such comparisons.
CM Siddaramaiah held a press conference yesterday after the disastrous event. The government was being criticised for their poor handling and management of the situation that led to the tragic incident. Siddaramaiah said that similar incidents have happened at other places and their party didn’t attack the government over there. He also announced compensation for the families of those who died and free treatment for those injured.
Siddaramaiah said, “Such incidents happened in so many places. I am not going to defend this by comparing it with them now, by saying it happened here and there. In the Kumbh Mela, 50-60 people died, but I didn’t criticise it. If Congress criticises, then that is a different matter. Did I or the Karnataka government criticise?”
The comments didn’t go well with BJP’s Union Minister and senior leader Prahlad Joshi. Joshi stated that there is no co comparison between the two incidents. He condemned the continuous celebrations after the reported deaths and raised major questions on why the event wasn’t handled with more sensitivity.
“Kumbh and this is incomparable. When police denied permission, why did you force them? My second question to Siddaramaiah is, after the deaths, you continue your celebration? Why did the Deputy Chief Minister (DK Shivakumar) go to receive them? They are busy with selfies, nobody is bothered about what has happened to the common man. No one was taking selfies. A judicial inquiry must be conducted. The government has to reply. This is highly condemnable,” Mr. Joshi said.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who was being heavily criticised for the tragic event apologised for the mishap and said that they were not expecting people to turn out in such big numbers. He said, “The stadium’s capacity is 35,000, but more than 3 lakh people were there. Gates have been broken. We apologise for this incident. We want to know the facts and give a clear message.”
The crowd that gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first title in the Indian Premier League turned fanatic to catch a glimpse of their favorite player. There were stampedes on two gates of the stadium which resulted in the disaster that happened. The questions are now being raised on the government and the franchise on who’s going to take responsibility of the disaster that happened.
