BENGALURU, June 9: In the wake of the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 dead and over 50 injured, suspended senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash has approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to contest his suspension, official sources confirmed on Monday.
According to a report in TNIE, Vikash, who was serving as the Additional Commissioner of Police (West Division) at the time of the incident, filed a petition with the tribunal last week, challenging the disciplinary action taken against him by the state government. The tribunal is expected to take up the case in the coming days.
The suspension stems from the June 4 tragedy, where thousands of people had gathered outside the stadium for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory celebrations. Chaos erupted due to mismanagement of the crowd, resulting in a fatal stampede.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had, on June 5, ordered the suspension of five senior police officials citing serious lapses in crowd control and safety arrangements. The list included Vikash, DCP (Central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar, ACP C Balakrishna, Cubbon Park Circle Inspector A K Girish, and Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda.
Justifying the suspensions, CM Siddaramaiah had stated that there was clear preliminary evidence pointing to negligence in duty. “Those who failed to discharge their responsibilities have been placed under suspension,” he had asserted. The official order also emphasized that there was “substantial dereliction of duty” by the officers involved.
While the state defends its action as necessary accountability, Vikash Kumar’s appeal has now opened a legal front in the aftermath of the stadium tragedy, drawing further attention to the lapses and administrative fallout from the ill-fated celebration event.
