Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday distanced his government from the tragic stampede incident that occurred near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, saying that the state administration had no role in organising the felicitation event that led to chaos and the loss of lives. A stampede near the stadium during a special felicitation ceremony organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to honour the RCB players, following their maiden IPL trophy win after 18 years, resulted in 11 deaths and 47 injuries. “The Secretary and Treasurer of the KSCA invited me to the felicitation programme. It’s not a function we organized. It’s a function they organised, and I was merely invited. They additionally informed me that the Governor was to attend it. Hence, I attended the programme. Apart from that, I am not aware of anything else,” said Siddaramaiah. Dismissing calls for his resignation over the incident, Siddaramaiah drew comparisons with similar tragedies in different states. “A stampede took place at Kumbh Mela. When a bridge that was inaugurated by PM Modi collapsed that very day, leading to hundreds of deaths, did he resign? Did any of you demand his resignation? The Kumbh Mela saw the death of 50-60 people. Did any of you demand his resignation? Did he resign? Did the BJP even demand it then?” he said, hitting back at critics. Reiterating his stance, the Chief Minister added, “I maintain this now as well, this incident shouldn’t have taken place. But where did the incident take place? Near the cricket stadium. I have no role in what happened at the cricket stadium.” The state government has blamed the police for failing to make sufficient arrangements for crowd control at the event. Five senior officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, have been suspended on charges of “dereliction of duty.” The decision has sparked sharp criticism from the BJP, which claims the police are being made scapegoats. Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar were directly accountable for the stampede.