Bengaluru stampede: Setback for Karnataka govt as CAT quashes IPS officer’s suspension

Bengaluru: In a setback to the Karnataka government, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has set aside the suspension order of senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash in connection with the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru.

The stampede occurred on June 4 in front of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a large number of people thronged to participate in the RCB team’s IPL victory celebrations.

Eleven people died in the crush and over 50 people were injured.

The order was passed on Tuesday by a CAT Division Bench comprising Justice B.K. Srivastava and Justice Santosh Mehra.

The Bench also directed the state government to reimburse all allowances and restore facilities to the officer.

Senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikas, who was among the five officers suspended in connection with the stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, had moved the Central Administrative Tribunal challenging his suspension.

Vikash Kumar Vikash was serving as the Inspector General and Additional Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City (West), moved the tribunal challenging the state government’s suspension orders.

He was deputed as the incharge of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the stampede occurred. He had contended that the state government had made him a scapegoat in the incident.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on June 5 ordered the suspension of five officers, including those of the Circle Police Inspector of the Cubbon Park Police Station A.K. Girish and Assistant Commissioner of Police C Balakrishna, Deputy Commissioner of Police of central division Shekhar H Tekkannavar, and Commissioner of Police Bengaluru city Dayananda.

Defending the police suspensions, CM Siddaramaiah had said prima facie those who have not fulfilled their responsibility properly have been suspended.

The suspension order said, “It is found that there has been on the face of it substantial dereliction of duty by these officers.”

The Central Administrative Tribunal court in Bengaluru, had earlier issued a notice to the state government over the suspension of the senior IPS officer in connection with the stampede.

IANS