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Bengaluru Stampede Fallout: As Siddaramaiah Heads to Delhi, 5 Burning Questions for Karnataka Government

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Following a tragic stampede near Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, Siddaramaiah has distanced himself from organising the event, claiming his presence was due to an invitation from the Karnataka cricket body. The KSCA, meanwhile, asserts the state government initiated the celebration.
Bengaluru Stampede: 5 Big Questions For Karnataka Government

A celebration marking RCB's first-ever Indian Premier League title turned tragic in Bengaluru leaving 11 dead.

Photo : PTI
The Congress high command has summoned Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to Delhi, days after a stampede near Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium killed 11 people, sources told Times Now. This comes as the Karnataka High Court takes suo motu cognisance of the stampede and poses 11 big questions for the state government, which have to be answered by June 10.
Conflicting statements have emerged from the state bodies, and answers to big questions remain unclear, especially pertaining to the organisation of the event.
Siddaramaiah has asserted that he had no role in arranging the function and attended it on the invitation of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).Denying any involvement in organising the event, Siddaramaiah said that he only went because he was told that the Governor was also attending.
"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," Siddaramaiah told reporters.
However, KSCA has claimed that the accident was an "unforeseen act" and that celebrating the win of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) was a decision of the state government.

5 Big Questions Posed For Karnataka Government

  1. When and who took the decision to hold the victory celebration and how was it formalised?
  2. What steps were implemented to regulate the traffic?
  3. What steps were taken to regulate the public/crowd during the event?
  4. Whether any SOP has been formulated by the state to manage a crowd of 50,000 and above in any sport event and celebrations of this nature?
  5. Whether permission was sought from state to hold the celebration and organise the event.
Other contradicting claims have been made on the implementation and regulation of traffic between the police and the KSCA.
At 6:00 PM on 3 June, KSCA CEO Subhendu Ghosh approached police for permission to hold a grand celebration at the stadium the following evening, as per the FIR. The police said it "denied" the request, citing possible overcrowding and the need for more time to ensure safe arrangements.
But KSCA has evaded responsibility and claimed that it "doesn't deal with the audience" and is only responsible for "handling venue rentals".

What Led To The Deadly Bengaluru Stampede?

Confusion over the victory parade, free passes, overcrowding, and limited seats at the Chinnaswamy Stadium are said to be some of the major reasons that led to the stampede that left at least 11 people dead and over 50 injured.
During the chaos, some people fell on the ground, while some got injured while trying to scale huge gates to gain entry into the stadium. The initial chaos that later turned into a stampede began as several cricket enthusiasts who did not have entry tickets to the stadium tried to swarm into the premises along with those who had valid tickets, the police said.
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Ananya Varma
Ananya Varma author

Ananya Varma is a journalist who loves chasing stories almost as much as they love chasing daydreams. Writing has always been their first love, a way ...View More

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