Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner and BJP leader Bhaskar Rao has strongly criticized the Karnataka government’s decision to suspend several senior police officers—including the city’s Police Commissioner—following the tragic stampede at the RCB IPL victory celebration near Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Calling it “the darkest day in the history of Karnataka Police,” Rao accused the Congress-led state government of acting in panic and unfairly blaming the police for administrative failures.
In a sharp post on X, Rao wrote, “The suspension of the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner is the darkest day in the history of Karnataka Police. The officers worked tirelessly all night to keep the city safe, and their reward is suspension.”
Rao went further, holding Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar responsible for the stampede, which claimed 11 lives and left over 30 injured. He described the event as a “death march” allegedly orchestrated by Shivakumar and said, “Everyone in Karnataka knows who the real culprit is. This government has blood on its hands and now seems to have lost its mind.”
Earlier on Thursday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the suspension of multiple police officials—from Cubbon Park’s Station House Officer to the city’s Police Commissioner—citing security lapses during the public event. He also stated that a one-man inquiry commission would investigate the incident.
The list of suspended officers includes:
Inspector and SHO of Cubbon Park Police Station
ACP and DCP of the Central Division
Stadium security in-charge
Additional Commissioner of Police
Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru
While the government has framed the action as a necessary accountability measure, critics like Rao see it as scapegoating the police to shield political leadership from blame.
As the probe begins, questions over crowd control, administrative planning, and political oversight remain at the forefront of public debate in Karnataka.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)