Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s attempt to downplay the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium by invoking past Kumbh Mela incidents has triggered a sharp political backlash, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) terming the remark insensitive and demanding a judicial inquiry.
The stampede, which occurred at two entry gates during celebrations marking Royal Challengers Bangalore’s long-awaited IPL victory, claimed 11 lives and left at least 47 injured. An unexpectedly massive crowd surged past broken barriers in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the cricketing stars.
Addressing a press conference, Siddaramaiah announced ex-gratia compensation for the families of the deceased and free medical treatment for the injured. However, in responding to criticism over poor crowd management, he remarked: “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 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 statement has drawn a pointed rebuke from Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi, who called the comparison “incomparable” and accused the state government of abdicating responsibility. “Kumbh and this is incomparable. When police denied permission, why did you force them?” he said.
“My second question to Siddaramaiah is, after the deaths, you continue your celebration? Why did 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,” Joshi added, further demanding a judicial inquiry into the matter.
Joshi also alleged that the Kumbh incident had been handled with sensitivity, unlike the present case. “No one was taking selfies. A judicial inquiry must be conducted. The government has to reply. This is highly condemnable.”
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who also holds charge of Bengaluru city, responded with an apology, stating, “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.”
Also read: What sparked the stampede at RCB’s victory parade
He accused the BJP of politicising the tragedy. “BJP is doing politics. We are very sorry for the incident. We will work out a better solution in the future.”
The row escalated further when senior BJP MLA and former Minister R Ashoka called the tragedy a “state-sponsored murder” and demanded the resignations of both the Chief Minister and his deputy.
“There are suspicions that the hidden fight between the CM Siddaramaiah and the DCM DK Shivakumar has turned into a credit war, leading to today’s chaos,” Ashoka wrote on social media platform ‘X’.
He alleged that the Deputy Chief Minister was expected to supervise the arrangements but had instead gone to the airport for a photo opportunity. “There are no emergency systems, including ambulances and fire engines, near a stadium that attracts millions of people,” he said.
Accusing the government of gross mismanagement, Ashoka remarked, “Who is responsible for all this? If the CM Siddaramaiah and DCM D K Shivakumar have any humanity or conscience, who have sacrificed innocent people for the sake of political showmanship, they must resign.”
The state government has yet to announce whether it will heed calls for a judicial probe or resignations, but political tempers continue to rise as the Opposition mounts pressure over the unfolding tragedy.
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