BENGALURU: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recommended departmental action against four IPS officers who held top posts in the Bangalore Commissionerate office at the time of a clash between the media, advocates and the police on March 2, 2012.
On Monday, CBI filed nine chargesheets against 54 police officials, 12 media personnel and 20 advocates and recommended departmental action against six police officials, including the four IPS officers, though they had been discharged due to lack of evidence.
The agency dropped prosecution against 37 police officials, including the six police officials, stating that during investigation it found no involvement of these officials in the incident except misconduct.
The six officials against whom action is sought are then DGP Jyotihi Prakash Mirji, then police commissioner T Suneel Kumar, then additional commissioner B Dayananda, police inspectors Shivamallaiah and S N Siddrammappa and DSP High court Vigilance V Shekar.
The chargesheet states that though there is not enough evidence to incriminate Mirji in any criminal act during the incident, he, however, showed misconduct.
The CBI described IPS officer Sunil Kumar’s act as grave, while Dayananda was found to have shown minor misconduct.
In 2012, a scuffle ensued between lawyers, media persons and the police on the premises of a civil court when G Janardhana Reddy, a former minister of Karnataka, was to be produced for an illegal mining case.
Violence broke out when the advocates protested the presence of the media and refused to allow them to cover the news.
Stones were pelted, chairs were broken and vehicles were torched.
The chargesheet further states that “the advocates objected to the presence of media personnel... skirmishes continued between the advocates and media persons. There was manhandling of media persons by the advocates. Media persons retreated behind the barricades and retaliated by throwing stones. Soon advocates started throwing stones at the police and police too retaliated...”