Lapses occurred, action taken to prevent tragedies in future: K’taka Minister on stampede status report
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for Medical Education and Skill Development Sharan Prakash Patil reacting to the status report filed by the government regarding the June 4 stampede tragedy which claimed 11 lives, stated that lapses occurred and action has been initiated to prevent tragedies in future.
Speaking to the media in Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru, on Thursday, he stated, while answering a question on the status report, “We have taken action and that will be followed, why would you doubt?”
When asked whether the police had been made scapegoats, Minister Patil said, “I am not here to defend. A decision has been made. Whenever there is a huge event happening, it is the responsibility of the department to make to make appropriate arrangements.”
“They should be aware of the situation and about things in that connection. Definitely, there would be lapses. Many lives have been lost. We can’t take it so easily,” he stated.
“Even to prevent these incidents in future, we have to take action,” Minister Patil stated.
Minister for Labour Santosh Lad stated that he had not read the report completely and added that the report would be placed before the Cabinet.
“Let me go through it and react,” he said.
Sources confirmed that the Judicial Commission report on the stampede by retired Justice Michael D Cunha submitted to the government will be placed before the Cabinet.
Sources stated that the report has highlighted the negligence by the Karnataka Police and organisers. Sources further revealed that Home Minister G. Parameshwara is likely to question the findings of the report putting the entire blame on the state police.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka government in its status report submitted to the High Court regarding the June 4 stampede has stated that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) invited people to the IPL victory celebrations unilaterally without consulting the police, sources confirmed on Thursday.
The High Court had recently given an order with regard to providing the status report by the state government to respondents the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), RCB and the DNA event management firm by setting aside the state’s request to keep the report confidential.
The report stated that the RCB invited people for the victory celebration event at the Chinnaswamy Stadium unilaterally and also without consultation and required permission by the police department.