Bengaluru Police Commissioner suspended following deadly stampede
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Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced the suspension of five senior police officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division), following the tragic stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 that claimed at least 11 lives.
The announcement was made during an emergency press conference at the Vidhana Soudha. Siddaramaiah also revealed that the investigation has been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Additionally, a one-man commission has been formed under retired High Court judge Justice John Michael D’Cunha to probe the incident.
The suspended officers include Cubbon Park Police Station Inspector Girish A.K., Assistant Commissioner of Police Balakrishna, Central Deputy Commissioner of Police H.T. Shekar, the Additional Commissioner of Police responsible for stadium security, and Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda. The decision came after detailed discussions involving the Deputy Chief Minister, Home Minister, ministers H.K. Patil, M.C. Sudhakar, H.C. Mahadevappa, and CID officials.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated, “Prima facie, the irresponsibility and negligence of these officers were evident, leading to their suspension.”
The stampede occurred during the celebrations of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s maiden IPL trophy victory. Siddaramaiah expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and termed the incident deeply saddening. The tragedy was also discussed in the state’s regular cabinet meeting, where key decisions were made.
Legal action has been initiated against representatives of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise, DNA Event Management Company, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). FIRs have been filed against these entities.
Siddaramaiah added, “Such an incident has not occurred during my tenure as MLA, minister, Deputy Chief Minister, or Chief Minister. This incident has deeply saddened us. The government stands with the families affected by this tragedy, and we pray for peace for the departed souls.”
The magisterial inquiry ordered on June 4 has commenced. Following initial information about the tragedy, the matter was discussed in the cabinet meeting, after which the investigation involving RCB, DNA Events, and KSCA was assigned to the CID.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court took suo motu cognisance of the stampede and registered a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking a detailed report from the Congress-led state government. A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice V. Kameshwar Rao expressed concern over the incident, questioning whether Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were followed and if sufficient guidelines were in place to manage the large crowds during the victory celebrations at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Earlier, the Karnataka Police had registered Unnatural Death Reports (UDRs) for the 11 fatalities. The Cubbon Park police filed these UDRs, although no FIR had been registered in connection with the deaths until now.
With IANS inputs
