Chief Minister Siddaramaiah meets an injured at a hospital following a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people.
Credit: X/@siddaramaiah, DH Photo
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry to fix those responsible for the stampede near the Chinnaswamy stadium that killed 11 persons, whose families will get Rs 10 lakh each as compensation by the government.
“I don't want to defend the tragedy. This shouldn't have happened. We're hurting,” Siddaramaiah told a news conference, adding that the government would bear the cost of treatment of 33 persons who sustained injury.
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The magisterial inquiry, which will be done by the Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner, should conclude in 15 days, Siddaramaiah said.
Any dereliction by Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) will be probed. “Let's see what the inquiry finds, whether there was negligence on the part of the KSCA or police,” Siddaramaiah said.
Siddaramaiah insisted that the tragedy was unexpected.
“More than a lakh people gathered in front of the Vidhana Soudha. No untoward incident happened there,” Siddaramaiah said. “But the tragedy happened at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Neither the KSCA nor the government expected it.”
Siddaramaiah said the Chinnaswamy stadium has the capacity to seat 35,000 people. “The expectation was that the crowd would be a bit more than the stadium's capacity,” he said. “But 2-3 lakh people showed up!”
The stadium has small gates, Siddaramaiah said. “People tried to enter through those gates. They even broke the gates. Therefore, the stampede took place. Nobody expected that such a crowd would gather,” he said.
None of the 33 injured persons is in danger, Siddaramaiah said, quoting doctors. “The total number of injured persons is 47, including those who received outpatient care,” he said.
Siddaramaiah clarified that there was no advice from the police against holding a felicitation event for the RCB team at the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha.
“It was the KSCA that organised the event. They sought permission for an event at Vidhana Soudha and it was given,” Siddaramaiah said.
When asked if more police personnel should have been deployed, Siddaramaiah said: “All police personnel available in Bengaluru city were deployed.”
Siddaramaiah declined to comment on the Opposition BJP’s attack that the Congress government was inadequately prepared.
“Many such stampedes have happened. Can I defend what’s happened now by saying that 50-60 people died during a stampede in the Kumbh Mela?” Siddaramaiah asked. “I don't want to play politics here.”