IPS Suspensions Follow Bengaluru Stampede Probe

By Sulagna Halder

Bengaluru, 29 June 2025:

Three senior IPS officers who were investigating the fatal stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's celebrations of their IPL victory, have been suspended by the Union government. 

Eleven people lost their lives and fifty six were injured in the tragic incident. Deputy Commissioner Shekhar Tekkannavar, Additional Commissioner Vikash Kumar Vikash, and Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda are the officers who have been suspended. They were suspended after the Karnataka government submitted a thorough report to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) pointing to "dereliction of duty and lapses in crowd management." In order to start official disciplinary proceedings, the Center has instructed the state to issue charge sheets within 30 days.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah initially declared the suspensions on June 5. "In my political experience since 1983, I have never seen such a lapse," he said at the time. I could have put an end to the festivities if I had been informed in a timely manner. The action's fairness has been swiftly questioned by opposition parties. 

The suspensions were deemed "unfair" by Union Minister V Somanna, Minister of State for Railways, who insisted that Dayananda had no direct involvement in the tragedy and ought to be reinstated right away. Retired IPS officers' advocacy group, the Indian Police Foundation, urged the Chief Minister to reevaluate the suspensions, cautioning that disciplining officers before conducting a comprehensive investigation could damage institutional integrity and lower morale.

Vikash Kumar Vikash, one of the suspended officers, has appealed the state's decision to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), claiming that the suspension was imposed without proof from a formal investigation. The CAT expressed doubts about the legitimacy of suspending officials without conducting a preliminary investigation during a hearing earlier this week. They posed the question, "How can the government determine dereliction of duty before any investigation report is submitted?" The tribunal has not yet rendered a decision. In subsequent events, the Karnataka CID has stepped up its investigation into the stampede. Before the judicial commission, which is presided over by Justice John Michael D'Cunha, more arrests and evidence gathering are anticipated.

The state government insists that the suspensions are appropriate considering the seriousness of the administrative error, despite growing criticism from the police and opposition parties. Key stakeholders have denied accusations of token scapegoating, arguing that the action is required to guarantee accountability and reform in the management of large scale events. 

The fate of the officers and the honesty of the Karnataka government's response to the tragedy continue to be major topics of public and political interest as legal challenges and investigations continue.