IPS and IAS fraternities of Karnataka at loggerheads

The stampede at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives on June 4. | Photo Credit: AFP

A war seems to have broken out between the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) fraternities in Karnataka over accountability for the stampede at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed 11 lives on June 4.

Even as three IPS officers, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, have been suspended and another officer shunted out, the upset IPS officers’ fraternity has been demanding that IAS officers should also be held accountable for the stampede fiasco.

“The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) held the felicitation programme on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha despite the city police flagging concerns over lack of time to prepare. The open-air event led to lakhs turning up like the police had said. How can no one be held accountable for this, when the police hierarchy for the area, from inspector to commissioner, has been suspended?,” asked a senior IPS officer.

“The IAS officers have joined ranks and are trying to project as if they did everything by the book,” another officer said.

There have been demands to hold the Secretary, DPAR; the Home Secretary, and the Chief Secretary accountable as well.

However, a senior IAS officer argued that the DPAR was definitely responsible for the event at the Vidhana Soudha, but it went smoothly without any untoward incident and it was at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that the stampede happened and IAS officers were not involved in any way there.

“The Karnataka State Cricket Association and Royal Challengers Bengaluru were organising the event at the stadium and the police had provided security. No IAS officer was associated with it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the IPS officers’ fraternity seems to be a divided house. IPS Officers’ Association, Karnataka was supposed to meet on Friday evening to take up the issue of the suspension of senior IPS officers and was expected to meet the Chief Minister over the same. However, the meeting was put off indefinitely at the last minute for undisclosed reasons.

Published - June 08, 2025 07:43 pm IST