Karnataka CM, Dy CM, home minister should take responsibility for stampede: Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru (PTI): JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday said, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara should take responsibility for the June 4 stampede that killed 11 people, and should resign if they have morality.
He hit out at the government for suspending five police officers including the city police commissioner.
"The suspension of five police officers with haste in connection with this unpleasant incident was unnecessary, if officials are made scapegoats for the mistakes of the government, can the officers work effectively? The government should have thought about it," Kumaraswamy said.
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Speaking to reporters here, he said, those heading the government claim to give a transparent, truthful and loyal administration, and they should understand the public opinion about the decisions they have taken.
"FIR on stampede incident says permission was sought for June 4 victory celebrations at the stadium, even before the match started on June 3. Final match started at 7:30 pm (on June 3) but an application was submitted at 6 pm for the next day's celebration, did they dream about winning the match? Another application was submitted to DAPR for the celebrations in front of Vidhana Soudha, who was behind it? Who put the pressure on the police commissioner at 7:30 am that day (June 4) for permission?" he asked.
The stampede occurred on June 4 evening in front of the Chinnaswamy stadium here, where a large number of people thronged to participate in the RCB team's IPL victory celebrations. Eleven people died and 56 were injured in the incident.
The Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister will have to take the responsibility for the stampede and all the three of them are at fault, former CM said.
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"What was the need to felicitate the team within 24 hours of the team's victory? Fine, what kind of felicitation was done? Was such a slipshod felicitation needed? If they have morality they should resign. But these days politicians, I can't expect it from them, but as an opposition party, we have demanded. We are not in a miserable state to do politics on dead bodies, such a situation will never come," he added.
Shivakumar on Friday had accused opposition BJP and JD(S) of doing politics over dead bodies.
The Karnataka Congress on Friday recalled the law-and-order breakdown after the death of thespian Dr Rajkumar when H D Kumaraswamy was the chief minister of the JD(S)-BJP coalition government in 2006, to counter the opposition's attack now.
Reacting to this Kumaraswamy said, "Some elements have tried to create nuisance and unrest during Rajkumar's death. That led to shooting and two deaths. I have openly accepted it, why link that incident with this stampede?"
Hitting out at Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy asked, "What is his achievement? What has he achieved or done? What is his contribution in the last two years for Bengaluru city and the state?"
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PM Modi inaugurates India AI Impact Expo, interacts with startups
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo here featuring over 600 high-potential startups and 13 country pavilions showcasing international collaboration in the AI ecosystem.
He also interacted with startups participating in the expo.
The prime minister visited various stalls and spoke with the companies participating in the expo. He was seen asking questions from company representatives to better understand what they are showcasing.
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The prime minister spent several minutes at various stalls while interacting with the representatives.
The Expo brings together global technology firms, startups, academia and research institutions, central and state governments and international partners.
Spread across 10 arenas covering more than 70,000 square metres, the Expo brings together global technology firms, startups, academia and research institutions, Union ministries, state governments and international partners.
The Expo also features 13 country pavilions, showcasing international collaboration in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem. These include pavilions from Australia, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Tajikistan and Africa.
The Expo will host over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations, structured across three thematic chakras -- people, planet and progress.
In addition, the Expo will feature over 600 high-potential startups, many of them building globally relevant and population-scale solutions. These startups will demonstrate working solutions that are already deployed in real-world settings.
