Bengaluru stampede: CAT quashes IPS officer Vikash Kumar's suspension

Bengaluru, Jul 1 (PTI) The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has quashed the Karnataka government’s suspension order against senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash, who faced the action in the wake of a fatal stampede here last month.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reacting to this, told reporters that there is an opportunity to go for an appeal against the CAT order.

The tragic stampede incident on June 4 in front of M Chinnaswamy stadium claimed the lives of 11 people, drawing sharp criticism over the planning and crowd management.

Vikash had challenged the government’s June 5 suspension order before the tribunal, which also included the names of then Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and DCP Shekar H Tekkannavar.

The Bengaluru bench of the tribunal comprising Justice B K Shrivastava and administrative member Santhosh Mehra, had reserved its verdict on June 24. On Tuesday, it set aside Vikash’s suspension.

Vikash’s counsel, senior advocate Dhyan Chinappa, said, “The tribunal has allowed the petition and annulled the suspension, affirming that he is entitled to all benefits as per service rules.” The CAT also noted that its findings could be extended to the cases of Dayananda and Tekkannavar, opening the door for their potential reinstatement.

"... in view of this Tribunal, the order has been passed in a mechanical manner and the order is not based upon the convincing materials. The Police officers have been suspended without any sufficient material or grounds. Hence, the aforesaid order is liable to be quashed," the order said.

"We allow the present petition, and quash the order dated June 4, in relation to the suspension of Vikash Kumar Vikash, (IPS, Inspector General & Additional Commissioner of Police, West, Bengaluru City)." It then directed the government to reinstate the applicant immediately and said the period of suspension shall be treated as duty with full pay and allowances.

The CAT order further said, "We also feel our duty to draw the attention of the State Government towards the settled principle of law that wherein a citizen aggrieved by an action of the government department has approached the Court and obtain a declaration of law in his/her favour, other similarly situated ought to be extended the benefit without the need for them to come to Court." State Home Minister G Parameshwara said he will review the order and consult with the CM regarding further legal action, as the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) comes under the CM.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said, the CAT order revoking IPS officer Vikas Kumar’s suspension is a "slap" on the face of the Siddaramaiah government.

"This isn’t just about one officer, it exposes how the Congress government tried to scapegoat the police department and tried to shift blame onto honest officers to cover up and shield its own criminal mismanagement in the BengaluruStampede tragedy," he said in a post on 'X', adding that even the suspensions of top cops like Commissioner Dayananda are now under review.

The BJP was right all along that it was government "mismanagement", not police action, that led to the loss of innocent lives at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Ashoka claimed. "The blood of 11 Kannadigas is on the hands of CM Siddaramaiah and DCM D K Shivakumar." Following the stampede incident, the CM announced the suspension of Commissioner of Police of Bengaluru city Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash, who was in charge of the stadium, Deputy Commissioner of Police of central division Shekhar H Tekkannavar, Assistant Commissioner of Police C Balakrishna, and Circle Police Inspector of the Cubbon Park Police station A K Girish.

The government had suspended the three IPS officers under the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969; while action against the ACP and PI was pursued under the Karnataka State Police (Disciplinary Proceedings) Rules, 1965.

According to the suspension order, the CEO of RCB had intimated Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City on June 3 about holding the victory parade and celebrations on June 4. However, the office of Police Commissioner failed to give a written reply to the organisers, rejecting the permission on the grounds of lack of time to prepare for such a huge event.

It said the RCB and Cricket Association tweeted about the celebrations and invited the fans to Chinnaswamy stadium without going through the usual practice of issuing tickets or passes. Despite being aware of the developments and expectation of a huge turnout of cricket fans by the police, steps were not taken to either have the event organized systematically at the stadium or give adequate information to the public to take necessary precautions for their safety or provide additional Police force for appropriate crowd management.

Further, the situation was not discussed with the higher-ups for necessary guidance and advice on the matter. As a result, the situation went out of control and brought a lot of misery, loss of precious life and embarrassment to the Government, it added. PTI