By News18
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has revoked the suspension order of IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash who was suspended as Additional Commissioner (East) in the aftermath of the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede case in which 11 people were killed and several injured.
The CAT also directed the government to review the suspension of two other officers involved in the case, with sources saying the officers were hopeful that their suspensions could also be withdrawn.
The development comes just two days after the Centre formally approved the suspension of Vikash and two other senior IPS officers鈥擝 Dayananda [was Bengaluru police commissioner] and Shekhar鈥 following the Karnataka government鈥檚 recommendation to suspend the officers for lapses in crowd management.
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The tragedy during the June 4 victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinching the IPL 2025 trophy after 18 years saw the police pushed against the wall over mismanagement.
Days after being suspended, Vikash has approached the CAT, questioning the legality and rationale of the disciplinary action against him. Vikash argued that the government鈥檚 order 鈥渓acks clarity on his individual responsibility in the incident and fails to establish any act of wilful negligence鈥.
While Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during a review meeting in the state, slammed the handling of the situation and questioned the effectiveness of the state鈥檚 intelligence apparatus, News18 had earlier reported that the police were not keen on holding the victory celebrations on June 4 and had suggested delaying them till Sunday, June 8.
News18 had also reported that in a letter dated June 4, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) MN Karibasvanna had warned of security concerns and flagged these to the department of personnel and administrative reforms (DPAR).
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The letter highlighted the potential for chaos given the team鈥檚 immense popularity and the large gathering of fans expected. It further suggested that the employees at Vidhana Soudha should get a half-day leave and flagged a lack of CCTV cameras to monitor the crowd.
The Siddaramaiah government, however, has washed its hands of the controversy, saying that the state administration had no role in organising the felicitation event that led to chaos and the loss of lives.
Dismissing calls for his resignation over the incident, Siddaramaiah drew comparisons with similar tragedies in different states. 鈥淎 stampede took place at Kumbh Mela. When a bridge that was inaugurated by PM Modi collapsed that very day, leading to hundreds of deaths, did he resign? Did any of you demand his resignation? The Kumbh Mela saw the death of 50-60 people. Did any of you demand his resignation? Did he resign? Did the BJP even demand it then?鈥 he said.