RCB victory tragedy: Police toothless, made to do state’s bidding

The RCB victory celebrations turned into mourning and anger against all actors concerned — the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), RCB team and event management company DNA, state government and Bengaluru police. Now, each one is finding fault with the others for the tragedy. But since the state government’s writ runs, it has lodged an FIR against the KSCA, arrested cricket officials and suspended the Bengaluru Commissioner of Police and a few other police officers for not managing the crowd properly, thereby absolving itself of any fault. It has also announced an inquiry into the matter by a retired high court judge. This, notwithstanding the fact that both the CM and Deputy CM were part of the celebrations at the Vidhan Soudha. The Karnataka High Court has taken suo moto cognisance of the matter and asked some tough questions to the government. The RCB has moved the HC, saying that the FIR against it be quashed.

But who is prima facie responsible for the tragedy? Let’s look at the sequence of events. The RCB wins the IPL cup for the first time in 18 years and announces a celebration the very next day. What was the hurry to celebrate without following procedures, including taking permissions of the authorities concerned? It is said this was done as the foreign players had to leave immediately. In that case, it seems that neither was any permission applied for nor given by the state government; the celebration took place like a private function.

The stadium has a capacity of 35,000 people, but so much publicity was given that more than three lakh fans turned up, leading to chaos and the stampede and the tragedy.

The Bengaluru police had advised against organising the event as arrangements for such a big event needed time for preparation and arranging the force required. But since the state government was involved with the function at the Vidhan Soudha for publicity, a verbal go-ahead seems to have been given, ignoring the police advice.

Now, when the chips are down and precious lives lost, police officials have been suspended for allegedly failing to anticipate the crowd and not making law and order arrangements! Isn’t an irony? It is so unfair. This has demoralised the police force. Many retired IPS officers have written an open letter to the CM, saying that the officers be reinstated and if and when the inquiry finds fault with them, necessary action be taken against them.

But treating the police like this is the order of the day in our country. The police have become like a private army of the state governments; they have been rendered toothless as almost all their powers have been taken away. This situation is true across the states, irrespective of the political party in power. It is well known that when the ruling party changes after an election, the police are made to do the bidding of the new party, including acting against the defeated party.

The primary fault for this situation lies with the Police Act, 1861, according to which the police are answerable to the executive, ie the state government — which is the political party in power. Despite the Supreme Court’s directions in September 2006 for police reforms, states have skirted this issue even as new Acts have been passed. The Central government had appointed a police commission in 1977 and many committees thereafter for recommending police reforms, but no action has been taken on their reports. In 2005, it tasked a committee led by Soli Sorabjee to propose a model police Act. In 2006, the panel recommended that the Police Act of 1861 be replaced, but the report is gathering dust.

No political party wants to give away control on the police. But, a powerful police is essential for the establishment of rule of law. In many countries, the police function independently, with some oversight. But such a thing happening here is not visible. We can only hope and pray.

BL Vohra is Former Home Secretary and DGP, Manipur.

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