Not Defending Stampede, Crowd Was Unexpected, says Karnatska CM Siddaramaiah:

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he will not defend the tragic stampede in Bengaluru. The incident killed 11 people and injured nearly 50. Speaking to the media, he said stampedes have happened before. He mentioned the Kumbh Mela stampede earlier this year where 50–60 people died. But he made it clear he was not using that to defend what happened. “I am not defending,” he said. “These types of stampedes have happened earlier too.” Siddaramaiah explained that the event was organised by the cricket association, not the state government. “We only gave permission and sent police for security,” he said. “The government did not host the event.” He added that over one lakh people gathered near Vidhana Soudha, but luckily nothing bad happened there. However, at the stadium, the crowd was too large. “The stadium can hold 35,000 people, but two to three lakh came. It was totally unexpected,” he said.