BENGALURU: The Karnataka government ordered a magisterial probe into the stampede that claimed 11 lives outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the RCB’s IPL victory celebrations on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday evening, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he has given 15 days for the magistrate to complete the probe, and based on that report, action will be taken. “The probe will give us a clear picture of who will be held responsible… whether it is cricket association, or police security lapse, or other administrative lapses. Let the report come,” the CM said.
Saying that the government is with the bereaved families, Siddaramaiah also announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the family members of each of the deceased. “The State Government is with the family members of the victims,’’ he said.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and Home Minister Dr G Parmeshwara were also present during the press conference.
Siddaramaiah said that after the IPL victory, celebrations were organised at Vidhana Soudha by the State Government and at M Chinnaswamy Stadium by the Karnataka State Cricket Association. “At Vidhana Soudha, over 1 lakh people assembled, and there was no untoward incident.
Whereas at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the seating capacity is 35,000. But over 3 lakh people assembled in and around the stadium, which was not expected. We expected a little more than 35,000. People who had passes should have come to the stadium… if more number of people assembled, what can be done?” he said.
Siddaramaiah said that 11 people died and 47 were injured in the stampede.
“The Karnataka government will pay the compensation to the deceased family members and take care of the treatment of the injured,” he said. The CM said he visited both the hospitals after the incident. “This should not have happened. Neither the government nor the KSCA had anticipated it. This is an unexpected tragedy,’’ he said. Further, Siddaramaiah said that he does not want to play politics over the tragedy. “I am not defending the tragedy. There have been many stampede tragedies at many places. At Kumbh Mela, many died.
I am not comparing or defending the tragedy here,” he said, expressing condolence. When asked about Congress criticising the Kumbh Mela stampede, the CM denied it and said the State Government here did not criticise the Kumbh Mela tragedy in Uttar Pradesh. The CM was irked by this question and even raised his voice against the media.
When the media questioned what the urgency was in organising the victory celebrations the very next day without proper preparations, Siddaramaiah said that the event at M Chinnaswamy Stadium was not organised by the State Government and it was organised by the KSCA. He said providing police personnel for security was the State Government’s duty.
He also said that there are many gates to enter the stadium and the gates were crashed too. Entire police personnel available in Bengaluru were deployed, he said and added that there was no untoward incident at the event in Vidhana Soudha. When asked about people throwing stones during the event, the CM said it had not come to his notice.
He also denied reports that police officials were not in favour of organising the event at Vidhana Soudha.