Bengaluru stampede: 15 reasons why CM Siddaramaiah suspended top cop Dayanand

In the wake of the tragic stampede at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suspended Police Commissioner B. Dayanand, citing 15 serious lapses in duty.

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Once praised as an honest officer, Dayanand's inaction and decisions came under intense scrutiny during a recent high-level review meeting. Here's a breakdown of the reasons:

1. Failed to inform the CM directly about inability to ensure event security.

2. Did not disclose pressure from any quarters, despite personal rapport with CM.

3. Didn’t deploy police personnel at key points where crowd control was critical.

4. No preventive measures taken, even after crowds began arriving early.

5. Insufficient police presence to manage growing crowd surge.

6. Failure in intelligence coordination with city police and intelligence wings.

7. KSRP platoons were available, but not effectively deployed.

8. Didn’t liaise with Metro authorities, despite knowing about crowd buildup.

9. Stayed away from the ground, choosing only review meetings over field presence.

10. As a committed officer, who or what restricted his actions?

11. Ignored warnings from stadium officials regarding crowd risks.

12. Delayed public response—waited two hours after the incident to react.

13. No recommendation to cancel the event, even post-stampede.

14. IPS vs IAS rivalry allegedly contributed to chaos and loss of lives.

15. Discontent over IPL pass allocations hinted at internal friction.

The CM's decision marks a rare political rebuke of a senior IPS officer, reflecting the gravity of the incident.