BJP holds protest, seeks resignation of CM and Deputy CM over RCB stampede

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP legislators and Parliamentarians held a protest here on Sunday, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over the stampede in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives.

The protest held in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha premises here was led by the leader of opposition in legislative assembly and council R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaseamy.

The BJP leaders called for legal action against the two senior Congress leaders, holding them directly responsible for the tragedy.

Carrying placards and shouting slogans, the protesters accused the government of negligence that led to the deaths.

Slogans were also shouted, calling the CM and Deputy CM "murderers".

The BJP leaders are also planning to meet Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot soon, seeking his intervention and calling for the dismissal of the government 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.

Speaking during the protest, Ashoka demanded justice for the deceased as he called Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar "Real Culprits of Bengaluru (RCB)".

"Businessman Vijay Mallya earlier promoted and launched the team RCB, which is Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but the CM and Deputy CM are the new RCB -- Real Culprits of Bengaluru," he said.

Hitting out at the government for suspending five police officers, including the then Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, in connection with the incident, Ashoka said, the BJP stands with the police and will fight for them, as there was no fault on part of the police.

The victory celebrations were organised despite police denying permission to it, he alleged. The loss of eleven lives is nothing but a "government sponsored murder".

He said those in power including CM and Deputy CM cannot rule the state on the dead bodies of eleven people. "You have no moral right, you have lost it. You are accused in the eyes of law," he added.

The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister behaved like "brand ambassadors" for the RCB, the LoP said, despite deaths the victory celebration events were held.

"First death happened at 3:15 pm (on June 4), the victory celebration programme started at 4:30-5 pm, by then seven to eight deaths had happened....then the Deputy CM went to the stadium to attend another celebration event, where crackers worth Rs 1 crore were bursted around 6:30-7 pm. After 11 deaths crackers were burst, do you even have humanity?" he asked.

Noting that police officials were suspended as they failed to inform the CM and Deputy CM about the deaths, Ashoka said news channels were providing live updates on the incident and deaths, the information were available on mobile phones. "What were your PAs or secretaries or officials doing?" Holding CM and Deputy CM directly responsible, he said the entire government should go, including the Ministers, Chief Secretary and officials.

Deaths are the sixth guarantee of this government (after five populist guarantee schemes), Ashoka said, citing the deaths of officials, officials, farmer suicides, meternal deaths.

"We have planned to meet the Governor soon demanding the dismissal of the government," he added.