NEW DELHI: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday defended the decision to go ahead with the event to felicitate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players, despite a stampede outside the team’s home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium. On Wednesday, a ceremony was held at the Karnataka Vidhan Soudha to felicitate RCB on clinching the Indian Premier League (IPL) title, the franchise’s first since the league began in April 2008. A celebration was also held at the nearby Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a large number of fans thronged. This led to a stampede outside the ground, in which 11 people died and 56 were injured.“Actually at 3:50 pm, deaths were reported at the hospital. I got to know only at 5:45 pm. Until then, I did not know about the stampede and deaths,” news agency PTI quoted Siddaramaiah as saying. He was speaking to reporters during a visit to Mysuru.The chief minister also clarified that the ceremony at the Vidhana Soudha was by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and that he attended the programme only as an invitee.“The KSCA secretary and treasurer met and invited me. It was not organised by us (state government). They (KSCA) had, and I was invited. They told me that the governor would also come. So, I had gone. Other than that, I don’t know anything. The government has nothing to do…I was not invited to the stadium event,” the Congress leader said.“Nothing untoward happened at the Vidhana Soudha. The stampede incident happened at the stadium later,” he added.DCP’s letter surfacesSiddaramaiah’s remarks come even as a letter by DCP (Vidhana Soudha security) to the secretary to the Karnataka government’s Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), surfaced . The letter warned against organising the function hastily, and highlighted that the force did not have an adequate number of personnel to provide security for a ceremony where a large number of people would gather, at short notice.This in response to the DPAR seeking the DCP’s opinion on holding the felicitation event on the grand stairs of the Vidhana Soudha to honour the RCB players.“RCB has a fan following across the country. Organising the event in a hurry on the grand stairs of Vidhana Soudha will lead to lakhs of cricket fans arriving there. This will lead to problems in ‘bandobast’ (arrangement) since there is a shortage of officers/personnel,” the DCP’s letter read.The officer further said if the function is organised, passes for visitors to Vidhana Soudha should be completely stopped.Also, as there were chances of the secretariat staff getting their family members for the event, he suggested an order aimed at ensuring this doesn’t happen. The officer also sought a holiday in the afternoon for secretariat staff to ensure that they too don’t come there.The DCP also called for installation of more CCTV cameras in the vicinity of Vidhana Soudha – which is a vital installation – and nearby places in view of the large gatherings expected.‘DAPR secretary gave permission for Vidhan Soudha event’: SiddaramaiahSiddaramaiah was asked by reporters about the letter. He replied, “What does the letter say? The police will act according to what the government decides. It did not come to me at all. DAPR secretary has given the permission. Of course I was told. I said give permission to the event in front of Vidhana Soudha.”
