Bengaluru stampede: Railways minister Somanna slams government response to stampede | Bengaluru News
Union minister of state for railways V Somanna on Sunday stated that even an entire year’s state budget can’t compensate for the tragic loss of lives in the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium. His remarks came in response to questions from the media on the govt’s revised compensation of Rs 25 lakh per victim, up from the initial Rs 10 lakh.“It was known that Royal Challengers Bengaluru reached the IPL final… the authorities should have planned accordingly. Unfortunately, the chief minister mishandled the situation. Perhaps he acted on poor advice from his associates,” said Somanna.The minister also criticised the suspension of police commissioner B Dayananda, calling it unjust. “I’ve known the work of the IPS officer for many years. His suspension is unfair, especially when he had no direct role in the stampede. It was a good decision to appoint him as commissioner, and he should be reinstated immediately. The govt has gone off track, and it must be held accountable for this tragedy,” he added.Reflecting on his past association with Siddaramaiah, Somanna expressed disappointment over what he described as a shift in his leadership style.
