States » SouthPosted at: Jun 9 2025 11:27PM


Cong govt fixated on grabbing limelight, ignored police warnings before stampede: LoP Ashok

Bengaluru, June 9 (UNI) Karnataka Leader of the Opposition R Ashok on Monday blamed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar for the stampede incident, alleging that their internal power tussle and desire for publicity overshadowed basic safety concerns.
Ashok accused the Congress government of ignoring police instructions and violating the law, leading to the tragic stampede at the RCB victory rally in the city that claimed the lives of several school children.
Addressing a press conference, Ashok said: "Had they not been fixated on grabbing the limelight, students would not have died. Eight children had already died when the programme began, but it went on as if nothing had happened. That shows how stone-hearted they are."
Ashok revealed that on June 4, the Vidhana Soudha police had written to the Chief Secretary warning that the event was hastily planned, understaffed, and posed a serious security risk. The police had suggested cancelling the event, but their warnings were ignored.
"When 18 BJP MLAs were suspended, the Speaker cited the rule book. Now the government itself has broken the law," he charged.
He said the police had issued instructions barring family members of staff from attending, mandating CCTV coverage, and restricting stage occupancy to 20-30 persons. All these instructions were allegedly flouted.
Over 200 people, including 11 players, were reportedly on the stage. Drones were flown despite a ban, and families of staff were present in large numbers.
Although the government order listed the event as a government programme, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah later distanced the state from it.
"Despite all this, police officials have been made scapegoats. Officers managing traffic and even police station staff have been suspended," Ashok added.
Calling for accountability, he demanded a special session of the Assembly to debate the government’s lapses and pressed for a judicial probe headed by a sitting High Court judge.
"If the government is innocent, let it pay Rs 1 crore as compensation to each victim’s family,” he said, adding that all BJP MLAs would contribute one month’s salary to the families.
Ashok also took a dig at the Congress’ handling of the event, saying, “Winning a trophy is not a new thing. No other state CM rushes for publicity like this. No other such tragedy has occurred when teams from other states won trophies."
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Tags: #Cong govt fixated on grabbing limelight# ignored police warnings before stampede: LoP Ashok
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