Karnataka HC seeks report on RCB celebration stampede that killed 11

Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the state government to file a status report on the stampede outside the cricket stadium here that led to at least 11 deaths and injuries to over 50 peopleThe court after taking suo motu cognisance of the matter issued notice to the state and tasked it to file a detailed status report by June 10At least 11 people were killed and 56 others injured in the stampede during the IPL victory celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru RCBWhen the matter came up before the division bench Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said the announcement of free entry to the stadium led to a massive rush at the gates triggering stampedeHe made it clear that the government does not intend approaching the matter in an adversarial way ldquoThis is not about blame games The aim is to understand what went wrong and ensure such tragedies donrsquot recurrdquo he saidReferring to the deployment of police and security personnel during the citywide celebrations following the AG said that the situation however turned chaotic outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium where more than 25 lakh people had gathered far exceeding the venuersquos capacity of 30000The bench observed that large public events must be guided by clear Standard Operating Procedures SOPs ldquoAmbulances must be available at the venue and there should be clarity about the nearest hospitalsrdquo the bench noted Responding to this the AG said that ambulances were indeed present but admitted they were not adequate for an emergency of this scaleldquoThe issue was not their absence but the numberrdquo he explained The AG further informed the court that a magisterial inquiry had already commenced and it would be completed within 15 daysThe state is treating the matter with utmost seriousness and notices have been served to all relevant parties including the event management agency ldquoWe are examining potential lapses No one is being let offrdquo he told the courtBJP demands resignationThe BJP on Thursday demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar holding the Congress government in the state responsible for the stampede incidentBJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that the ldquomutual fight and riftrdquo between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar led to the state ldquogovernmentmanufactured stampederdquo He recalled last yearrsquos arrest of Telugu actor Allu Arjun in a stampede case in Telangana where the Congress is in power and asked if the party would follow the same rule in Karnataka and arrest its two senior leadersHe also slammed Rahul Gandhi and asked him to break his silence on the incident ldquoThis is clearly the failure of the state government and they will have to own up to it The CM and the Dy CM will have to resign for the deaths of 11 innocent people and those who suffered injuries in the incidentrdquohe saidBJP playing politics Dy CMDeputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday turned emotional over the loss of lives and said that Bengaluru has lost its image while the opposition BJP and JDS are playing politics on dead bodies He also said that the state government has taken full responsibility for the incident Reacting to allegations by the opposition that police had not given permission for celebrations he said ldquoI donrsquot want to react to any of these BJP guys I am only answerable to the people of Karnataka All BJP persons are nonsense They are also the mastermind of these dirty thingsrdquo ldquoWe are deeply hurt The victims are our own family The image of Karnataka the image of BengaluruYes we take it responsibilityrdquo Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said11At least number of people killed in stampedeRCB announces Rs 10 lakh for familiesBengaluru IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru announced a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the 11 supporters who lost their lives in a stampede ldquoThe unfortunate incident has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB familyrdquo RCB said in a statement on Thursday ldquoAs a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity RCB has announced a financial support of Rs 10 lakh to each of the 11 families of the deceased In addition a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incidentrdquo it saidRCB has drawn widespread criticism for going ahead with the victory celebrations just a day after winning the trophy denying the administration and police authorities enough time to arrange adequate security needed for an event of such magnitude BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has already questioned the lapses in arrangement and also stressed on the need for proper coordination between the franchise the police and the district administration for smooth conduct of such an eventThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and 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