All of us, including fans, could have done better: K'taka Minister on stampede deaths

Bengaluru, June 5 Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said on Thursday that the stampede tragedy could have been prevented if the event had been "planned better". He admitted that there were lapses.

“All of us, including fans, could have done better to avoid such a tragedy,” said Kharge, the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

At least 11 people were killed and around 40 injured in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Wednesday. Priyank Kharge stated,

Speaking to the media here, the state Minister for RDPR, IT and BT said, “We are a responsible government. We owned up to responsibility, and more importantly, each one of us could have done better.”

Priyank further stated, “Moreover, whether it's the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the government, or the fans, all of us could have done a little better. I am not sure what has transpired, nor whether due consultations were done by the team management, the cricket association, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with the Department of Home.”

“There is no question of pinning blame on anyone. We are a responsible government. The CM, Dy CM, and Home Minister owned up responsibility; it’s an unfortunate incident that could have been prevented and planned better,” he stated.

“However, the frenzy was uncontrollable, given it had been an 18-year wait for the victory. Whatever the reasons, we owned up to the responsibility and are taking corrective measures on the same,” he stated.

“Everything happened too quickly. It’s very clear, as the CM and the HM stated yesterday, that we are not going to defend anything. There have been some lapses when it comes to planning,” Priyank stated.

“The presence of 2.5 to 3 lakh people on the streets was unexpected, and most importantly, the lack of time for preparations was a key factor because they arrived within 16 to 24 hours after the victory. Quite naturally, we didn't anticipate such a frenzy,” he noted.

“As part of the magisterial inquiry, everyone will be questioned. We will determine why it happened and ensure these things don’t happen next time. The difference between us and other governments is that we are taking moral responsibility for everything and implementing corrective measures,” Priyank said.

“If you see yesterday’s social media posts by the official handles of the BJP and their leaders, they were the ones who suggested that the victory parade should be held; they even suggested an open-bus victory parade. The Home Minister had categorically stated it was not possible. Now, the BJP has deleted that tweet and is retracting their words, saying things could have been handled better,” he alleged.

“On the one hand, they say the celebration should be grand, and now they say this should not have happened at all. Politicising everything is not good,” he slammed.

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