Kailash bar fire: cop suspended

Two days after five employees of a bar were suffocated to death in a fire,  a police inspector attached to the Kalasipalyam station was suspended on Wednesday for dereliction of duty.

Ramalinga Reddy, while taking charge as the home minister in March last year, presented a 30-point agenda to the police force, one of which was strictly ensuring the stipulated closing hours of liquor outlets in the city.

Following the incident,  Reddy, along with Bengaluru Development Minister K J George, visited Kalasipalyam and learnt from the locals that several bars were open through the night for labourers at the market. Local residents, including a corporator, told Reddy about the 'window sales' at night,  home department officials said.    

Reddy then directed City Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar to conduct an inquiry and take appropriate action against the errant officials. The commissioner found the police inspector guilty of dereliction of duty and suspended him.

'Was made  scapegoat'  

According to sources in the police department, the inspector was made a scapegoat for the fire accident. They also rubbished the allegations of round-the-clock liquor sales and called it baseless.