Justice lost in an inquiry maze

Overlapping investigations on the Bengaluru stampede have failed to conclusively fix accountability

The Karnataka government has revoked the suspension of four police officers, including former Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, nearly two months after 11 people died in a stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s IPL victory celebrations on June 4. However, justice has eluded the families of the victims in the absence of any accountability owing to a convoluted series of investigations, contradictory findings, and blame games. Initially, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested officials of RCB and the event management firm, DNA Networks, holding them responsible for negligence. However, the Karnataka High Court quashed these arrests, citing procedural and jurisdictional overreach. Meanwhile, two office-bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secured anticipatory bail. The case is currently being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

In a show of prompt action, the government suspended police officers in the aftermath of the tragedy for dereliction of duty. However, Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash successfully challenged his suspension before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). The CAT squarely blamed the RCB for organising an unauthorised event, shifting the focus away from the administrative failures. The government has appealed this decision in the High Court, further prolonging the legal battle. Findings from a Deputy Commissioner-led magisterial inquiry and a judicial inquiry by retired High Court judge Michael D’Cunha have been submitted to the government. The commission has pinned the blame on RCB, DNA, and KSCA, while also indicting the police for various lapses. A departmental inquiry against the police officers is underway. The High Court has also taken suo motu cognisance and registered a PIL to examine the root causes and suggest reforms.

Despite these overlapping investigations – the CID probe, the departmental inquiry, the magisterial inquiry, the judicial commission's inquiry, the CAT’s observations, and the High Court’s ongoing PIL – no single agency or individual has been held conclusively accountable. The government blames the police, the police deflect responsibility to RCB’s unauthorised event, KSCA and DNA argue that crowd management was the state’s duty. In this web of mutual recrimination, the real victims are forgotten. This incident has become a textbook case of systemic paralysis where legal entanglements overshadow justice. The High Court must now play a decisive role in cutting the clutter. Unless the judiciary intervenes firmly, this case will join the long list of tragedies where red tape buried justice and victims became mere statistics.