BJP raises stampede tragedy in K'taka Assembly, calls it negligence, not accident

Bengaluru, Aug 12 The Karnataka BJP on Tuesday said the June 4 stampede tragedy, which claimed 11 lives during the IPL victory celebration in Bengaluru, was not an accident but the result of sheer negligence.

Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka made the remarks while speaking on an adjournment motion regarding the tragedy in the Assembly.

He asserted that he would produce evidence to show that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, who have claimed they were unaware of the event at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, knew about it from the very beginning.

"I am not politicising the stampede tragedy; I am speaking about it with pain. This is not like any other case of corruption or a scam. The mothers of the deceased children and their families deserve justice. I myself have been a sportsperson for 20 years," Ashoka said.

"The civil society wants this tragedy, which took 11 lives, to be discussed as a priority and to ensure such incidents never recur in the state. This is the first tragedy of its kind that Karnataka has witnessed," he added.

Ashoka called it a total failure of crowd management and public safety protocols, asking, "Who gave permission for the celebrations? Who finalised the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)? How was traffic managed? From where was medical help arranged? Were entry and exit points identified and marked? Were barricades installed? Were ambulances kept ready? Were any orders issued in this regard?"

He said, "RCB claims the government invited them, and they came. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) says the government invited them and that they had to manage the crowd. The High Court is asking for the SOP."

Ashoka insisted that a case of negligence causing death should have been filed. "This is not just an accident; it is negligence. It clearly reflects a lack of leadership. I fail to understand what the CM and Dy CM were doing," he said.

Criticising the IPL, Ashoka stated, "The 20:20 cricket format is a recent phenomenon. Players are auctioned in the IPL, earn in crores, and give nothing back to us. What good has the IPL brought to society? Thousands have committed suicide."

He claimed that the highest number of people betting during the IPL are from the poorest sections of society. "My own cook committed theft to get money for betting. People are losing their homes and ending their lives due to betting losses. Betting is done on every ball bowled, with hundreds of crores placed as bets on each ball," he alleged.

Ashoka accused the Congress-led government of trying to take credit for the IPL victory celebrations. "After seeing the celebrations following the IPL final win, the government decided to gain mileage. A letter was sent to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner regarding the parade at Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government now claims it had no knowledge," he said.

He further stated that letters were also sent to the DCP and the Circle Inspector. "I am presenting these letters as my first piece of evidence. RCB wrote to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), and the DPAR Secretary marked the letter as very important. You (the government) gave permission for the celebrations. Without directions from the CM and Dy CM, it would have been impossible for the DPAR to permit the events," he charged.

Ashoka also referred to tweets by RCB, saying, "When it comes to money, RCB ensures foolproof operations, but they conveniently forgot about the safety of lakhs of people. If the government had spent just five minutes thinking about it on June 4, the tragedy could have been prevented."

He added that directions were given from the Chief Minister’s Office to RCB and DNA (event management company) to make preparations. "This has been mentioned in Justice Michael D’Cunha’s report on the tragedy. RCB and DNA have also submitted these communications to the court," Ashoka said.

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