“Did Not Organise It, Karnataka Cricket Body Invited Me”: Siddaramaiah On RCB Event

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, facing a barrage of criticism over the stampede in Bengaluru last week, today said he was present at the event only because he was invited and was told that the Governor would also attend.

“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,” Mr Siddaramaiah told reporters today. 

“They also informed me that the Governor is also coming, I only went there. I don’t know anything apart from that I only went there after I was invited, they didn’t invite me to the stadium,” he added.

The Chief Minister and the other leaders were present outside the Vidhan Soudha near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the day’s victory march of fans ended and there, they had met the cricketers.  

But the VIP presence had divided the police strength, spreading the 1500-strong police force too thin on the ground. The state’s Opposition BJP  had pointed to this as one of the key causes of the stampede that occurred shortly after at the stadium. 

The state has accused the police for not making adequate preparations to handle the event. Three top officers of the force, including the city police chief, have been accused of “dereliction of duty” and suspended.