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A row erupted in Karnataka after CM Siddaramaiah suspended Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand over the Chinnaswamy Stadium tragedy. BJP accused Congress of scapegoating.
Siddaramaiah-led government forgot their moral responsibility, the ex-CM said. (PTI photo)
A row has erupted in Karnataka after Congress leader and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suspended Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayanand over Chinnaswamy Stadium tragedy that claimed 11 lives on May 4. The Bengaluru CP was suspended a day following the stadium horror that unfolded during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Indian Premier League victory celebration, jointly organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and DNA Networks.
The Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress-led state government of being selfish for not taking any responsibility for the mishap and using the police officers as scapegoat.
Calling the government’s move “shameful”, former Chief Minister and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa on Thursday alleged that state government suspended five police officers in order to pacify public. Siddaramaiah-led government forgot their moral responsibility, the ex-CM said. While referring to the chaos that allegedly took lace due to mismanagement, he added that the state government has created “a dark history.”
Taking to X, Yediyurappa wrote, “It is a shameful act that the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers themselves stood up and the entire government took responsibility for the system, and while celebrating RCB’s victory, they forgot their moral responsibility and, with the evil thought of calming the public’s anger, suspended five police officers, including the Police Commissioner, as victims. Even before the ceremony, when news of the deaths and injuries in the stampede reached, the Congress government ended the felicitation program in a huff and puff, and then continued the program at Chinnaswamy Stadium, creating a dark history in Karunad (sic).”
He added that the state govt took this decision of suspending the officials to protect themselves from court judgement and to continue to hold the chair.
“Suspending officials to appease public anger and escape the judgment of the High Court is a selfish move of clinging to the chair. If the Chief Minister @siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister @DKShivakumar and Home Minister @DrParameshwara have any morals, they should take responsibility for this tragic incident and resign immediately (sic),”he further wrote.
‘Murderous’: BJP Alleges Congress Insulted Bodies Of Victims
Referring to the Karnataka govt as “murderous”, the Karnataka BJP also claimed that the Victim’s bodies that were handed over to their families were brought in “ambulances without freezers.”
The Karnataka BJP tweeted, “The murderous @INCKarnataka government has insulted even the bodies of the dead with its irresponsibility. It has proven how shameless it is by providing ambulances without freezers to hand over dead bodies to families. Sending bodies hundreds of kilometers away in hearses without freezers is truly inhumane… CM @siddaramaiah , DCM @DKShivakumar, doesn’t your murderous government have the guts to transport the dead bodies properly..!!(sic).”
Leader of Opposition in state assembly R Ashoka also echoed these concerns, questioning the Congress leadership’s contradictions. “Yesterday, DK Shivakumar said police were not responsible. Now Siddaramaiah has suspended the Police Commissioner and other officials. What is going on?” Ashoka asked.
Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah ordered the arrest of RCB, event management, and KSCA officials. A Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigation is underway and a judicial commission is proposed to investigate lapses.
Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18…Read More
Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18… Read More
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