Bengaluru, June 17 (IANS) The fact that the High Court has taken up a suo motu case in the June 4 stampede incident that claimed 11 lives shows that no one has faith in the state government, slammed Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka, R. Ashoka.

Speaking to reporters after the protest organised to condemn the stampede incident in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Ashoka said that if the state government had not erred in the stampede case, it should have conducted a proper investigation. Now that the High Court has registered a suo motu case, it implies that the government has given room for this, indicating that the court does not trust the government.

The families of the 11 deceased could have been consulted for the investigation. Initially, the deputy commissioner, then a retired judge, and later an SIT probe were mentioned, but there is no clarity in any of these, he said.

Due to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family taking photos with cricketers, 11 people lost their lives. The BJP has conducted all kinds of protests and will continue to do so. The government itself invited people to the Vidhana Soudha. Had they not issued such an invitation, this tragedy would not have occurred, Ashoka slammed.

“When we protested, hundreds of police were deployed. Similarly, more police should have been assigned to control the two lakh people,” he said.

“This is why I have demanded a three-day session. If the government claims it is not at fault, it should clearly state whose fault it is. This government’s story will end by October. All MLAs are claiming to be the Chief Minister. How can they come to power in 2028? D.K. Shivakumar is very worried,” Ashoka added.

“Ever since CM Siddaramaiah and Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar returned from their Delhi visit, all kinds of efforts are being made to cover up the stampede case and divert public attention,” he stated.

‘Mr. CM Siddaramaiah, you are a lawyer, an experienced person with long political and administrative experience, serving as Chief Minister for the second time. There is a vast difference, like between the sky and the earth, between the stampede tragedy that happened in Bengaluru and the terrorist attack in Pahalgam or the stampede incident at Kumbh Mela. You also know that making such comparisons is foolishness,” Ashoka stated.

“Still, I will give an example. For a patient who needs surgery, even after performing all primary examinations, getting confirmation from expert doctors, the surgery fails for some reason, then that can be called an accident, a mishap, or fate.

However, if doctors advise against immediate surgery, yet a patient is suddenly operated on without any prior preparation, without any concern, and that patient dies, who is responsible for that?” Ashoka chided.

“That is exactly what has happened here, sir. Even after the police issued a written warning against a hurried victory celebration, for whose whim was the celebration held in such haste?” Ashoka questioned.

The bitter truth is that this stampede is a government-sponsored massacre of innocents. This was a preventable tragedy that occurred due to the government’s desperate eagerness to take undue advantage of someone else’s achievement and success, he stated.

What was the hurry to organise an event in front of Vidhana Soudha within 12 hours of RCB winning the trophy? Did the police inform the government that it was possible to hold both this event at Vidhana Soudha and another event at the nearby Chinnaswamy Stadium? Did the city police discuss with the stadium event organisers and make adequate arrangements for the safety of the fans gathering there? If permission was granted, under what conditions was it given regarding the safety of the people gathering there? Ashoka questioned.

Ashoka further charged, “Isn’t it shameful to claim that nothing untoward happened at the event on the Vidhana Soudha steps, and that the event at Chinnaswamy Stadium was not our responsibility? Isn’t it disgraceful that even after the tragedy occurred, they justified continuing the event with statements like, “We didn’t give speeches; we ended the programme quickly.”

By hastily organising the event without any prior preparation, merely for the sake of publicity, and disregarding all protocols, the Congress government is directly responsible for the deaths of 11 young people, the BJP leader alleged.

Any SIT investigation or magisterial inquiry into this case will merely be a conspiracy to give the government a clean chit, he opined.

As an opposition, it’s our duty to protest against this irresponsible government that is trying to evade accountability for the deaths of 11 innocent young people, and to demand justice. We have no intention or need to politicise this, Ashoka slammed.

Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar and Home Minister G. Parameshwara must take moral responsibility for the deaths of these 11 people and resign immediately. Only then will the government be deemed to have taken responsibility for this tragedy, and it will be the first step towards providing justice to the innocent lives lost and their parents, Ashoka demanded.

–IANS

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