.jpeg)
Bengaluru, June 10: Indian Police Foundation have come out in support of former Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda (IPS: 1994: KT), who was suspended along with four other officers in the wake of the tragic stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead.
In two separate letters addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, they have questioned the rationale behind suspending top police officials before the completion of a judicial inquiry.
The letters argued that the responsibility for the June 4 incident lies more with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) management and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), who allegedly insisted on immediate post-victory celebrations despite police warnings.
The foundation condemned what it called haste in organising the parade without sufficient crowd control measures. It pointed out that the police, from station-level officers to the Commissioner himself, had flagged serious concerns about preparing for the large turnout expected.
The letter said, there is a general impression that the police officers have been victimized while those, whose haste, over-enthusiasm, and reluctance to take a stand, contributed to the tragedy, have managed to get away.
The foundation has called for the reinstatement of all five suspended officers, including Dayananda, pending the outcome of the judicial inquiry, which is expected to conclude within a month. Disciplinary action, if warranted, should follow from the findings, and not precede them, the letters stated.
Meanwhile, Senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash (IPS: 2004: KT), who was among the five officers suspended by the Karnataka government following the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede incident, has approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) challenging the state's order. Vikash was Bengaluru's additional commissioner of police (West).
|