Bengaluru, June 7 (UNI) Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Karnataka, alleging that undue pressure was exerted on the Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand hours before the RCB stampede that claimed 11 lives.

"Pressure has already begun on the police commissioner. Is this how a government functions — running events on the fly and sacrificing lives for spectacle?" Kumaraswamy asked, pinning direct responsibility on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara.

"As many as 11 innocent people died because of government's gross incompetence. And now they want to scapegoat police officers instead of owning up to the administrative collapse," he told media.

Terming the suspension of police officers as a "hasty, superficial and morally dishonest" response, Kumaraswamy said such action was nothing more than a diversionary tactic to shield the real culprits. "Was it really necessary to suspend officers so hurriedly? They were only doing their job. This is a historic failure, and blaming them is unjust," he said.

He further accused the government of approving the RCB felicitation programme in a reckless and unplanned manner, without adequate permissions or crowd control protocols. "The organisers submitted their application at 6 pm, just a day before the final match. Later, they even sought permission for another event outside Vidhana Soudha. Who were the people who cleared these approvals in such haste?" he questioned.

He also slammed the Congress for its failure to announce a meaningful compensation for the victims. "No amount of money can bring back those lives, but the least the government could have done was to treat this as a special case and support the bereaved families. Instead, even condolences have been insincere," he remarked.

UNI BDN PRS