'RCB Responsible, Not the Police': Tribunal Points Finger at RCB for Stampede Chaos
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Central Administrative Tribunal has revoked the Karnataka government's suspension order against senior Indian Police Service officer Vikas Kumar , who was taken action against in the wake of the massive stampede here last month. 11 people lost their lives in the stampede in front of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4. There was sharp criticism of the planning and crowd management in the case. CAT has held Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) responsible for the stampede in the stadium.
The order clearly stated that RCB did not take any prior permission from the police. Suddenly posted it on social media. Policemen are also humans, they do not have Aladdin's lamp. The tribunal said that RCB posted the invitation for the victory procession on social media without police permission, due to which a huge crowd gathered and the police did not have enough time to make security arrangements. The order clearly stated, "RCB did not take any prior permission from the police. Suddenly posted it on social media and due to this a crowd gathered. The police cannot be expected to make complete arrangements in just 12 hours."
The tribunal also said, "Policemen are also human beings, neither gods nor magicians. They do not have 'Aladdin's lamp', with which they can make all the arrangements in one go." IPS officer Vikas Kumar, who was suspended in this case, has got a big relief. The tribunal, cancelling his suspension, said that his suspension period should be considered as part of the service.
Vikas Kumar was then Additional Commissioner of West Zone of Bengaluru and in-charge of Chinnaswamy Stadium. The tribunal has also suggested to the Karnataka government to reconsider the suspension of two other senior officers, the then Police Commissioner of Bengaluru B Dayanand and DCP Shekhar H Tekkannavar. The tribunal said, "The decision to suspend the police officers is not based on sufficient evidence. At the time of the decision, there was no solid or concrete basis to prove that this accident happened due to the negligence of these officers." However, if the government wants, it can challenge this decision in the High Court.