Former Bengaluru police chief Dayananda acquitted in Chinnaswamy stampede case

A Bengaluru court on Wednesday acquitted former city police commissioner B. Dayananda in the 2017 Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede case. The incident, which occurred during a Karnataka Premier League (KPL) match, had resulted in the death of a 58-year-old woman and injuries to several others.

Stampede during KPL match

The tragedy unfolded on August 12, 2017, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. A crowd surge near Gate 6 of the venue led to chaos as fans attempted to enter the ground for the KPL final. The victim, identified as Shobha, was crushed in the melee. She was rushed to a hospital but was declared brought dead.

Multiple people were injured in the stampede. The incident sparked widespread criticism of the security arrangements and crowd management at the stadium. The Bengaluru police, then headed by Dayananda, faced intense scrutiny.

Court finds lack of evidence

The trial court, after examining the evidence and witness testimonies, concluded that the prosecution failed to establish a direct link between Dayananda and the lapses that led to the stampede. The judge noted that the former commissioner had delegated specific duties to subordinate officers for the event's security.

The court observed that no concrete proof was presented to show that Dayananda had willfully ignored safety protocols or issued negligent orders. The prosecution had argued that the top cop should have personally overseen the crowd control measures, but the bench found this line of reasoning insufficient for criminal liability.

Legal proceedings and verdict

The case had been pending for over eight years. Dayananda, who retired from the Indian Police Service in 2022, maintained his innocence throughout the trial. His legal team argued that he was not directly responsible for the on-ground arrangements at the stadium.

The verdict comes as a relief for the former police chief, who had faced the prospect of a prison term. The court also acquitted several other police personnel and stadium officials who were named as accused in the case. The specific charges against Dayananda included sections of the Indian Penal Code related to causing death by negligence and endangering public safety.

What the prosecution argued

The state had contended that Dayananda, as the top officer, bore ultimate responsibility for the deployment and briefing of personnel at the venue. They pointed to a lack of proper barricading and inadequate signage as evidence of systemic failure.

However, the court noted that the immediate cause of the stampede was a sudden surge of ticketless fans, a situation that even a larger police presence might not have prevented. The judgment highlighted the difficulty of predicting and controlling such spontaneous crowd behaviour.

The victim's family has not yet commented on the acquittal. Legal experts suggest they may explore an appeal in a higher court, though no such move has been officially announced.

Dayananda's acquittal closes a significant chapter in Bengaluru's legal history. The case had long served as a touchstone for debates on police accountability during large public events. With the verdict delivered, attention now shifts to whether any civil or departmental action will follow against the officers involved.