Bengaluru: Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vikash Kumar Vikash, one of five officers suspended in connection with the tragic stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, has filed a challenge against his suspension with the Central Administrative Tribunal, according to official sources on Monday.
Vikash, who previously served as the Additional Commissioner of Police (West), submitted his appeal to the tribunal last week. The tribunal is expected to hear the case in the coming days.
On June 5, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the suspension of five officers, including Circle Police Inspector A.K. Girish of the Cubbon Park Police Station, Assistant Commissioner of Police C. Balakrishna, Deputy Commissioner of Police for the central division Shekhar H. Tekkannavar, and Bengaluru City Commissioner of Police Dayananda.
In defense of the suspensions, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated on Friday that those officers who failed to fulfill their responsibilities adequately were justifiably suspended. The suspension order indicated that there was “substantial dereliction of duty” on the part of the officers involved.
The stampede occurred on June 4, as a large crowd gathered to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team’s victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of eleven individuals and left over fifty others injured.
