Seemanth Kumar Singh Appointed Bengaluru Police Commissioner After Stadium Stampede Kills 11

Bengaluru Stampede: Following the tragic stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and injured 47 others, Karnataka IPS officer Seemanth Kumar Singh has been appointed as the new Bengaluru Police Commissioner. The appointment came just hours after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the suspension of Commissioner B Dayananda and several other senior police officials.

Who is Seemanth Kumar Singh? 

Singh, a 1996-batch IPS officer, was serving as Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force. He will now assume the role of ADGP and Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, "until further orders", as per a notification from the Karnataka Home Department.

The reshuffle follows mounting public outrage and scrutiny over security lapses that led to Wednesday's stampede near the iconic stadium during a felicitation event for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team, celebrating their maiden IPL title win.

Top Officials Suspended, Enquiry Ordered

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, addressing a press conference, confirmed that multiple officers were suspended, including the Additional Commissioner of Police, the DCP (Central), the stadium in-charge, the SHO of Cubbon Park Police Station, and the police housemaster.

"The lapses are grave. Lives have been lost due to negligence, and immediate accountability is necessary," Siddaramaiah said.

He also announced that the investigation had been handed over to the Crime Investigation Department (CID), and a special commission would be set up to probe the incident further.

FIR Registered Against RCB, KSCA, DNA Networks

The Cubbon Park Police registered a suo motu FIR naming multiple accused, including the RCB franchise, KSCA, and DNA Networks. The complaint, filed under charges of criminal negligence, was confirmed by DCP Central Shekar H Tekkannavar.

The Chief Minister also instructed the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) to arrest representatives of RCB, KSCA officials, and event managers involved with DNA Networks immediately.

Nation Mourns, Questions Raised

The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with citizens, activists, and political leaders questioning the lack of crowd control measures and the hurried planning of a high-profile public event.