The stampedes he referred to include the one that had taken place in Ratangarh in 2013, Haridwar in 2021, Sehore in MP in 2023, and Hathras in UP, in which 121 people were killed in 2024
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Pic/PTI
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said 20 stampedes took place in the BJP-ruled states, and blamed "mass hysteria" for the Chinnaswamy stadium incident in June that killed 11 people, reported news agency PTI.
Replying to a discussion in the Assembly on the June 4 stampede, the Chief Minister read out the list of stampedes starting from the one that occurred on August 3, 2008, at Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, when Prem Singh Dhumal was the Chief Minister, followed by the stampede in Jodhpur in 2008, which killed 250 people.
The stampedes he referred to include the one that had taken place in Ratangarh in 2013, Haridwar in 2021, Sehore in MP in 2023, and Hathras in UP, in which 121 people were killed in 2024.
He also spoke about the Prayagraj stampede during Kumbh Mela in January this year that claimed the lives of 39 people. CM also talked about the Gujarat Morbi bridge collapse in 2022, in which 135 people were killed, reported PTI.
"In my 42 years of political life, never such an incident took place. I had never seen 11 people dying in a stampede. I am pained. I expressed my sorrow the same day," the Chief Minister said, reported PTI.
He said people perceived RCB's victory in the IPL match as Bengaluru's pride. The mass hysteria created by it was behind the stampede.
"We sometimes have to bow to the people's expectations in democracy. That's the sign of democracy," Siddaramaiah said, noting that he had to attend the victory celebration of RCB, reported PTI.
Several police officers, including Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, were suspended following the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4.
The opposition BJP had raised the issue in the Assembly a few days ago and had demanded that the CM should apologise and resign from his position.
On Thursday, the BJP sought a reply from Siddaramaiah, to which he said he would answer on Friday morning.
Earlier, Home Minister G Parameshwara in the Assembly said, "In the stampede, 11 lives were lost. We suspended police officers and got a report on the stampede by the retired High Court Judge, Justice John Michael D'Cunha. But we cannot bring back the lives lost. Now what to do next? So, we brought the Crowd Management Bill."
Parameswara said there was a need for a standard operating procedure to decide the facilities that should be available in crowded places. Accordingly, a draft has been prepared.
(With inputs from PTI)
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