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The Karnataka government suspended Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and several senior police officers for the stampede in Chinnaswamy Stadium in which 11 people died and over 50 people were injured.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made the announcement late on Thursday, June 5, during an emergency press conference called after a lengthy cabinet meeting held earlier in the day.
The officers facing suspension are Police Commissioner B Dayananda, an Additional Commissioner of Police West Vikash Kumar Vikash (in charge of cricket stadium security), DCP Central Shekhar Tekkanavar, ACP of Cubbon Park division Bala Krishna, the Inspector of Cubbon Park police station Girish.
“The matter was discussed with the senior ministers and legal advisor AS Ponnanna. We felt the police had been irresponsible and negligent. I have never seen a stampede since I became MLA. This has distressed us all,” he said.
He also said that the government had directed the arrest of representatives of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), private event management company DNA Entertainment and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. An FIR had been filed earlier on Thursday, June 5, against them at the Cubbon Park police station.
The CM also said that the investigation of the case would be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department. He said that prima facie, there was negligence on the part of the police.
He also announced a one-man commission headed by retired Karnataka High Court judge Justice Michael Da Cunha to probe the stampede. Hours after the tragedy, the CM had announced a magisterial inquiry by the Bengaluru Urban DC Jagadeesha G.
TNM had reported earlier on Thursday that there was a lack of coordination between the RCB officials, KSCA, the government and the police. TNM had also reported that even within the police department there was an utter lack of coordination even though the Police Commissioner B Dayananda had denied the RCB permission for an open van victory parade.
