A head constable with the Bengaluru police was arrested on Friday, June 6, after he staged a symbolic protest against the suspension of Police Commissioner B Dayananda following the deadly stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4.
Head Constable Narasimharaju A, posted at the Madiwala police station, protested in uniform outside the Raj Bhavan, wearing a black armband and holding a portrait of BR Ambedkar. Commissioner B Dayananda was among several top officials suspended in the wake of the June 4 tragedy, which left 11 people dead and over 50 people injured.
Security personnel at Raj Bhavan detained Narasimharaju and handed him over to the Vidhana Soudha police. He was subsequently released on station bail.
Speaking to reporters, he accused the politicisation of the police force. “The police are increasingly at the mercy of political parties, be it Congress, BJP, or JDS,” he said.
The suspension of Dayananda has drawn sharp criticism from former senior police officials. Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Jyoti Prakash Mirji told The Hindu that the government’s move was “irresponsible” and appeared to be aimed at self-preservation. “There was not even a preliminary enquiry conducted which found a prima facie lapse. How could a commissioner be suspended like this?” he questioned.
Another former commissioner, speaking to TNM, warned that such actions could have a demoralising ripple effect across the force. “When the commissioner is suspended, it sends a shockwave down the ranks. The police were also victims — they were on the ground all through the night and the following day. The decision to hold the event wasn’t theirs. Yet, those truly responsible were spared, and the police became collateral damage because they were the most visible,” the official said.
The Karnataka government has faced mounting criticism over its handling of the stampede, which occurred during a victory celebration for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) IPL team.