Bengaluru: In an attack on the Congress-led state government, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka on June 6 blamed the Siddaramaiah administration for the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that claimed 11 lives and left over 30 injured. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the tragedy and vowed that the BJP would continue its protest until the guilty are punished.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Ashoka alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had thrown the rule of law into darkness. “This is the result of the so-called socialist, secular governance of Siddaramaiah. While RCB won the IPL, KPCC leaders hijacked the moment for photo-ops. Siddaramaiah acted like the batsman, DK Shivakumar as the bowler, but in this game of political ambition, the people of Karnataka were hit-wicket. Eleven young talents lost their lives,” he said angrily.
Police made scapegoats; not a single Congress worker helped victims
Ashoka accused the government of scapegoating police officers while absolving Congress leaders of responsibility. “The police commissioner has been suspended for the first time in Karnataka’s history. Social media is flooded with support for police personnel. It was police officers who lifted unconscious youths and rushed them to hospitals—no Congress worker was seen there,” he said.
Despite the police refusing permission, the RCB franchise insisted on holding the event, making it an unauthorized celebration, Ashoka pointed out. “Had Section 144 been imposed, no crowd would have gathered. The event should have been called off, but the government was more concerned about saving face. The FIR itself says the police denied permission,” he added.
Who ordered the show? Who brought in the players?
He demanded clarity on who gave the go-ahead for the event and who brought the players to the stadium. “The government itself is the offender. If police were against holding two programs simultaneously, why did the Chief Minister say the incident didn’t happen at Vidhana Soudha but at Chinnaswamy Stadium? They’re right next to each other. Despite police objection, the Congress government broke the law to proceed with the event,” he alleged.
Ashoka dismissed government-announced investigations—first by the district administration, then CID—as mere eyewash. “Like the MUDA and Valmiki Corporation scams, this too will be buried. Since the government itself is at fault, no agency under its control should be allowed to investigate. Only a sitting judge can probe the truth behind this disaster,” he demanded.“The fight will continue until those responsible are held accountable,” he concluded.
BJP filed complaint against CM, DCM and state HM
Senior BJP leaders have filed a formal complaint at the Cubbon Park police station on Friday against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, accusing them of causing the deaths of innocent people and misusing public funds.
BJP State General Secretary P Rajeev lodged the complaint, demanding immediate legal action against the trio. He was accompanied by BJP MLC and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council N. Ravikumar and BJP state spokesperson Ashwath Narayan.
P Rajeev claimed that despite warnings from the intelligence department and the police expressing their inability to manage the crowd, the government went ahead with the victory celebration for political gain. “The police officers who worked non-stop for 48 hours were suspended instead of being supported. This massacre of innocents was driven solely by the motives of the CM and DCM,” he said.
Rajeev accused the government of misusing taxpayers’ money for the RCB victory parade and said, “They have committed mass murder for selfish political gains. If proper legal action isn’t taken, I will approach the court.”
He also declared that CM Siddaramaiah should be named Accused No.1 (A1), DCM Shivakumar as Accused No.2 (A2) and Home Minister Parameshwara as Accused No.3 (A3)
“The DCM must take full responsibility. The CM must accept moral responsibility. Only when he resigns will DCM Shivakumar understand the gravity of the deaths,” Rajeev stated.
