Bengaluru stampede: BJP demands special session of Karnataka legislature

Ashoka, reiterating the demand for 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.

Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Sunday 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 reiterating the demand for 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.

"People of the state are raising questions, who was at fault? So call a special session of the legislature, let there be a discussion as to who was at fault, all the violations or flouting of laws need to be discussed, whether it was by police permission, DAPR, all of this should be discussed," Ashoka said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, let there also be discussion regarding providing compensation and all about the three inquiries that have been ordered -- magisterial enquiry (to be done by Deputy Commissioner), CID probe, and one-man inquiry commission under retired High Court judge John Michael D'Cunha.

"All inquiries are being given to Cunha, he is permanent....we had sought for an inquiry headed by a sitting judge of the High Court, we will continue to demand for it. Three days special session has to be called immediately. Leader of Opposition in Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and I will write a letter in this regard to the Assembly Speaker, Council Chairman and Chief Minister," he added.

Pointing out that the government has announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the kin of the deceased after criticism, Ashoka said, his party demands for compensation of Rs 1 crore each, if the government is not bankrupt.

A team of BJP leaders will visit the families of the deceased and try to console them, he added.

Citing DCP Vidhana Soudha letter to the Secretary to the government on June 4, Ashoka hitout at the Siddaramaiah administration, and said, the government did not consider what the police had said, and disregarded the conditions laid out by them to organise the victory celebrations.

The DCP's letter clearly states as the celebration event is being organised on the grand stairs of the Vidhana Soudha in a "hurry", he said, it warns that lakhs of people may gather, about shortage of security staff, and that there will be problem in providing bandobast.

The officer further stated that still if the event has to be held, the issuing of online or offline passes for visitors to Vidhana Soudha should be completely stopped. Also, as there are chances of the secretariat staff getting their family members for the event, an order should be issued aimed at ensuring that this doesn't happen. It also seeks a holiday to be declared for secretariat staff to ensure that they too don't come, Ashoka pointed out.

"The letter also calls for installation of more CCTV cameras in the vicinity of Vidhana Soudha and nearby places in view of the large gathering expected; and highlights the need for an anti-drone system," he said and alleged that government thrown all these conditions into the "dustbin" and organised the event.

Also conditions laid down by the PWD department that only 25-30 guests would be allowed on the dias was also completely violated, Ashoka said, "when the rules were flouted on the dias at Vidhana Soudha event, do you expect rules to be followed by the people at the KSCA stadium event, as you have blamed over crowing for the tragedy?" "You people (in the government) took the lives of innocent people, but police officers and the police commissioner were suspended," he chided.

The victory cup was won by Virat Kholi and RCB team but the CM and Deputy CM tried to gain credit from it by organising victory celebrations at haste, Ashoka alleged and said, "if there was no friction between these two power centres, such a situation and deaths wouldn't have happened. Because of friction between these two we have seen the deaths."

"Instead of attending to the situation with deaths happening, and consoling the families of the deceased, while one went to the stadium to attend the victory celebrations there and kissed the trophy won by the RCB, the other had gone to eat Dosa," he alleged indirectly referring to Deputy CM and CM.

He slammed them for going on with celebrations both at Vidhana Soudha and the stadium thereafter, despite deaths due to stampede, and called them "inhuman".