Siddaramaiah lists out stampedes in BJP-ruled states, asks 'did Yogi resign?’
Karnataka CM poses question during debate on June 4 stampede in Bengaluru, in Assembly; asks if CMs of BJP-ruled states resigned after the tragedies
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday (August 22) listed out 20 stampedes that took place in BJP-ruled states and sought to know whether any of the chief ministers in these states had quit in the wake of the tragedies.
During a discussion on the June 4 stampede at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, in the Assembly, Siddaramaiah said "mass hysteria" among the crowd led to the stampede that claimed the lives of 11 people.
CM lists out major stampedes
Siddaramaiah read out the list of stampedes, including the Prayagraj stampede during the Kumbh Mela that occurred in the BJP-ruled states.
He started with an incident that occurred on August 3, 2008, at Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, when Prem Singh Dhumal was the chief minister, followed by the stampede in Jodhpur in 2008, which killed 250 people.
Other stampedes he referred to include the ones in Ratangarh (2013), Haridwar (2021), Sehore of Madhya Pradesh (2023), and Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, in which 121 people were killed in 2024.
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‘Did Yogi resign?’
He also referred to the Prayagraj stampede during Kumbh Mela in January this year that claimed the lives of 39 people as well as the Gujarat Morbi bridge collapse in 2022, in which 135 people were killed.
"Did Yogi Adityanath resign as Uttar Pradesh chief minister after the Kumbh Mela stampede in Prayagraj, in which 39 people were killed?" he asked.
"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," he said.
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CM blames mass hysteria
Siddaramaiah further noted that people perceived RCB's victory in the IPL match as Bengaluru's pride. The mass hysteria it created was a contributing factor to 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.
(With inputs from agencies)