Bengaluru stampede: Cops plant stories in media to protect B Dayananda and other suspended IPS officers

Bengaluru

The cops are reportedly chasing the friendly media in Bengaluru to plant stories to influence public sentiment and protect the suspended IPS officers following the stampede incident on June 4, during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebration.

The suspended police officers are B. Dayananda, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner; Vikash Kumar Vikash, Additional Commissioner (Law & Order), responsible for stadium security; Shekhar H. Tekkannavar, DCP, Central Division; C. Balakrishna, Assistant Commissioner of Police; and A. K. Girish, Circle Inspector, Cubbon Park Station. All are accused of dereliction of duty and failure to act on critical information.

Dayananda, who served as commissioner for 737 days, took charge as the city’s top cop on May 30, 2023. He was suspended on June 5. No doubt, his choice for the post came as a surprise, as he served as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Intelligence, during the previous BJP regime. The State Intelligence Chiefs are chosen by the governments meticulously, and the foremost criterion for the same is unimpeachable loyalty. This was also the very reason for the appointment of Hemanth M. Nimbalkar as intelligence chief.

Sources in the police department say that Dayananda may have subtly flirted with the Congress during the last assembly polls, supplying crucial intelligence. This may have been the reason for the Congress to opt for him for the post of commissioner. The commissioner, who is considered media savvy, sources said, has the habit of switching loyalty for personal gains, and his appointment by the Congress is testimony to the same.

Cops chase media, plant stories

As the Karnataka government is responsible for the death of 11 RCB fans, so is the police, a senior IPS officer told BLR.POST. The public sentiment is naturally against the government as people are emotionally charged up, which blinds them from seeing bureaucratic lapses, the officer added. Dayananda and other suspended officers became furious after the suspension, and Dayananda’s suspension came at a time he was lobbying for a tenure extension or to hold a position in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). These IPS officers are now resorting to planting stories in mainstream English newspapers and TV channels.

Sources further said that when the officers learnt they might be held responsible for the incident, a story was planted in the Bengaluru-based daily, Deccan Herald. The news story said: “Advice against holding immediate celebrations went unheeded, say police.” This was the first attempt to absolve IPS officers from responsibility, squarely blaming it on the government. Instead of coming to the rescue, this played a spoilsport, as it made the State upset. On the same day, a suspension order was issued.

Another senior IPS officer said the police lapses are clearly visible, as despite RCB management writing to the City Police Commissioner about holding the parade, no written response was given. Dayananda did not put out any security details either on social media or in the media. A senior government functionary said there was a lack of communication between the government and police before the celebration and after the stampede. Although Dayananda was alerted immediately about the stampede, he delayed notifying the same to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah by at least two hours. On the other hand, June 3 celebrations across the city after the win indicated the frenzy and crowd. This was conveniently ignored. The RCB posted about the parade on X, but Dayananda did not come out on social media to clarify the same.

After the suspension, another story was planted in Times of India (ToI) that read: “Bengaluru stampede: Cops had warned against feting RCB at legislature.” A document was also provided. The story said: “Senior police officer M. N. Karibasavana Gowda had red-flagged the risks just before the event. In the letter written to Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms Secretary, G. Satyavati, he said, ‘Lakhs of cricket fans are likely to come to Vidhana Soudha. Since there is a shortage of security personnel, making bandobast will be a problem.’” He is in charge of security at the legislature. The government is at fault for ignoring this advice, but avoiding the event would not have stopped people from assembling near Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the incident occurred, an IPS officer said.