Bengaluru stampede: ‘Action against police looks like scapegoating,' Indian Police Foundation tells Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
The Indian Police Foundation (IPF) – a group representing retired police personnel – has asked the Karnataka government to reinstate the police officers who have been suspended in the wake of the Bengaluru stampede.
Eleven people died after a stampede occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the Karnataka capital during the victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL).
In a letter addressed to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, the IPF stated, 'The suspension of five police officers, including the Commissioner of Police, prior to the completion of a detailed investigation, has raised serious concerns within the professional policing community across the country. Actions taken without establishing individual responsibility would be seen as scapegoating rather than principled accountability and may have a demoralising effect on the entire police force, while undermining institutional integrity.'
'In the spirit of constructive engagement, the Indian Police Foundation offers to support the Government by conducting a Post-Incident Review and Analysis. This would be a non-adversarial, independent exercise, not intended for fault-finding, but focused on identifying systemic gaps, good practices, and actionable lessons to guide police operations and training. The IPF has in its membership a distinguished team of former DGPs, former civil servants, senior police leaders, forensic scientists, public safety experts, and academics who can undertake this exercise with neutrality, sensitivity, and professionalism,' the letter added.
A day after the Bengaluru stampede, the state government had suspended Bengaluru Commissioner of Police B Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Vikash Kumar Vikash, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar, ACP (Cubbon Park sub-division) C Balakrishna, and police inspector Girish A K on Thursday.
Besides the Opposition, social media users have also flooded the government with requests to reinstate Dayananda.
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