Bengaluru: A day after the tragic stampede at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left over 40 injured, political tensions flared over Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s controversial comparison to past tragedies, including the Kumbh Mela stampede.
The comment, intended to deflect criticism, instead invited sharp rebuke from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing the media amid public outcry over poor crowd control during the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) IPL victory celebration, Siddaramaiah acknowledged the loss and announced Rs 10 lakh in compensation for each victim’s family. He then referenced the Kumbh Mela tragedy to suggest that stampedes have happened under various governments.
“In Kumbh Mela, 50-60 people died, but I didn’t criticise it. If the Congress criticises, that’s a different matter. Did I or the Karnataka government criticise?” he said. The statement was seen by many as dismissive of the gravity of the situation.
Have a look at his entire statement here:
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi condemned Siddaramaiah’s comments, calling the comparison “incomparable” and accusing the Congress government of evading responsibility. “When police denied permission, why was the event forced through? And after the deaths, why continue the celebrations? Why was the Deputy CM busy taking selfies?” Joshi said, as quoted by NDTV.
He added, “The Kumbh tragedy was handled sensitively. No one was busy with photo ops. A judicial inquiry must be conducted. The government has to reply. This is highly condemnable."
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar apologised, saying, “We underestimated the crowd. More than 3 lakh people turned up for a venue with 35,000 capacity.” He also accused the BJP of politicising the tragedy, and said, “We’re very sorry. We’ll ensure this never happens again.”
