Siddaramaiah says was invited to RCB event by KSCA, did not organize it
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Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, under fire following last week's stampede in Bengaluru, clarified that he attended the event solely because he was invited by officials from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). They also informed him that the Governor would also be present.
Speaking to reporters, he explained that the KSCA secretary and treasurer had personally extended the invitation. Siddaramaiah emphasized that the event was organised by the KSCA, not by the state government.
He further stated that he had no additional involvement or knowledge about the event beyond the invitation, and noted that he was not invited to the stadium itself.
The Chief Minister, along with other senior leaders, had been present outside the Vidhana Soudha, near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the fan victory march concluded and where they met with the cricketers.
However, the presence of VIPs reportedly led to a diversion of police personnel, thinning the deployment of the 1,500-strong force on the ground. The Opposition BJP highlighted this as a major factor contributing to the stampede that occurred shortly after at the stadium.
Meanwhile, the state government has placed the blame on the police for failing to adequately prepare for the event. As a result, three senior officers, including the city’s police commissioner, have been accused of "dereliction of duty" and suspended.
This move has drawn strong criticism from the BJP, which argued that the police were being unfairly blamed. Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka went further, accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar of being directly responsible for the incident, NDTV reported.
The stampede during the felicitation ceremony for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players, celebrating their first-ever IPL title, resulted in the deaths of eleven people and left 47 others injured. The tragic incident unfolded at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a massive crowd—numbering in the lakhs—had gathered after RCB announced free entry. Many of the fans had waited 18 years for this moment and rushed towards the gates, leading to chaos.
The Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is currently probing the incident. Prior to this, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had ordered an inquiry led by retired High Court judge Justice Michael Cunha through a one-man commission.
As part of the ongoing investigation, four individuals were arrested on Friday, including the head of marketing for RCB and several employees of DNA Event Management Company, which was involved in organising the event.
