Bengaluru, 8 June

Karnataka BJP legislators and Parliamentarians held a protest on Sunday, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar over the stampede in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives.

The protest held in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha premises was led by the leader of opposition in legislative assembly and council R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaseamy.

The BJP leaders called for legal action against the two senior Congress leaders, holding them directly responsible for the tragedy.

Carrying placards and shouting slogans, the protesters accused the government of negligence that led to the deaths.

Slogans were also shouted, calling the CM and Deputy CM "murderers".

The BJP leaders are also planning to meet Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot soon, seeking his intervention and calling for the dismissal of the government

Speaking during the protest, Ashoka demanded justice for the deceased as he called Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar "Real Culprits of Bengaluru (RCB)".

"Businessman Vijay Mallya earlier promoted and launched the team RCB, which is Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but the CM and Deputy CM are the new RCB -- Real Culprits of Bengaluru," he said.

Hitting out at the government for suspending five police officers, including the then Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, in connection with the incident, Ashoka said, the BJP stands with the police and will fight for them, as there was no fault on part of the police.

The victory celebrations were organised despite police denying permission to it, he alleged. The loss of eleven lives is nothing but a "government sponsored murder".

He said those in power including CM and Deputy CM cannot rule the state on the dead bodies of eleven people. "You have no moral right, you have lost it. You are accused in the eyes of law," he added.

The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister behaved like "brand ambassadors" for the RCB, the LoP said, despite deaths the victory celebration events were held.

"First death happened at 3.15 pm (on 4 June), the victory celebration programme started at 4.30-5 pm, by then seven to eight deaths had happened....then the Deputy CM went to the stadium to attend another celebration event, where crackers worth Rs 1 crore were bursted around 6.30-7 pm. After 11 deaths crackers were burst, do you even have humanity?" he asked.