‘Didn’t Organise, I Was Invited’: Siddaramaiah Defends His Presence At RCB Event

Facing criticism over the stampede in Bengaluru during the RCB victory celebrations last week, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said that he was present at the event only because he was invited and was also told that the governor would also attend the event. According to NDTV, the Karnataka CM said that the secretary and treasurer of KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) came and invited him.

“The secretary and treasurer of KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) came and invited me to the event. We didn’t organise the function, the KSCA did,” Mr Siddaramaiah told reporters today.

“They also informed me that the Governor is also coming, I only went there. I don’t know anything apart from that I only went there after I was invited, they didn’t invite me to the stadium,” he added as quoted by NDTV.

According to reports, the presence of VIP had divided the police strength and spread the 1500-strong police force too thin on the ground. The opposition leaders had pointed to this as one of the main causes of the stampede that took place.

Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka demanded that the government call a special session of the state legislature for three days to discuss the June 4 stampede that killed 11 people, as he pointed out that people are seeking answers.

The BJP leader, who is reiterating the demand for the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, also announced that all his party legislators will contribute a month’s salary to the kin of those deceased, who are in need, while urging the government to enhance the compensation to Rs 1 crore if it is not bankrupt.

The stampede occurred on June 4 evening in front of the Chinnaswamy Stadium here, where a large number of people thronged to participate in the RCB team’s IPL victory celebrations. Eleven people died, and 56 were injured in the incident.

(With agency inputs.)