Bengaluru: On Sunday, Karnataka BJP legislators and Parliamentarians organized a protest in this city, calling for the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar due to the stampede in Bengaluru that resulted in 11 fatalities.
The demonstration took place in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue located within the Vidhana Soudha premises, led by R Ashoka, the leader of the opposition in both the legislative assembly and council, along with Chalavadi Narayanaseamy.
The BJP leaders demanded legal action against the two senior Congress officials, asserting that they are directly accountable for the tragedy.
Protesters, carrying placards and chanting slogans, accused the government of negligence that contributed to the loss of life.
Slogans were also directed at the CM and Deputy CM, labeling them as “murderers.”
Additionally, the BJP leaders are planning to meet with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot shortly, seeking his intervention and advocating for the government’s dismissal. The stampede took place on the evening of June 4 in front of the Chinnaswamy stadium, where a large crowd gathered to celebrate the RCB team’s IPL victory. The incident resulted in 11 deaths and 56 injuries.
During the protest, Ashoka called for justice for the victims, referring to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar as the “Real Culprits of Bengaluru (RCB).”
“Businessman Vijay Mallya previously promoted and established the RCB team, which stands for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but the CM and Deputy CM are now the new RCB — Real Culprits of Bengaluru,” he stated.
Criticizing the government for suspending five police officers, including the former Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, in relation to the incident, Ashoka expressed that the BJP supports the police and will advocate for them, as there was no wrongdoing on their part.
He alleged that the victory celebrations were held despite police denying permission for the event, asserting that the loss of eleven lives constitutes a “government-sponsored murder.”
He stated that those in authority, including the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, cannot govern the state over the corpses of eleven individuals. “You possess no moral authority; it has been forfeited. You stand accused in the eyes of the law,” he remarked.
The Leader of the Opposition noted that the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister acted as “brand ambassadors” for the RCB, as victory celebrations were conducted despite the fatalities.
“The first death occurred at 3:15 PM on June 4, while the victory celebration program commenced at 4:30-5 PM, by which time seven to eight fatalities had already taken place… Subsequently, the Deputy CM attended another celebratory event at the stadium, where fireworks worth Rs 1 crore were set off around 6:30-7 PM. After eleven deaths, fireworks were still ignited; do you possess any humanity?” he questioned.
He pointed out that police officials were suspended for failing to notify the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister about the fatalities, stating that news channels were broadcasting live updates regarding the incident and the deaths, and that this information was accessible on mobile devices. “What were your personal assistants, secretaries, or officials doing?” He held the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister directly accountable, asserting that the entire government, including the Ministers, Chief Secretary, and officials, should resign.
Ashoka remarked that deaths represent the sixth guarantee of this government, following five populist guarantee schemes, citing the fatalities of officials, farmer suicides, and maternal deaths.
“We have plans to meet with the Governor soon to demand the government’s dismissal,” he concluded.
