India, June 10 -- The magnitude of the recent tragedy at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy stadium defies words. Many young lives were snuffed out during the ghastly events that occurred during the public celebration of the Indian Premier League (IPL) winner, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The horror could have been averted if only all those who held public office in the city and were responsible for upholding citizen safety had displayed professionalism instead of getting immersed in a dubious celebration. IPL is a big money-laden spectacle that has an intoxicating effect on the young and old. At the Bengaluru carnival, one powerful VIP was pictured holding the trophy and hosting it sky high as if he had himself scored runs and taken wickets to help RCB win the cup. This was typical of many of our bigwigs who do not miss any photo-op to project themselves as heroes and grab the honour from those who deserved it. It doesn't matter if their antics disrupt public life and inconvenience the community at large. I am more than convinced that if RCB's well-deserved triumph had not been so unabashedly politicised, the tragedy would not have happened. What is appalling is the manner in which the State administration has acted to distance themselves from the horrific happening and pass the buck on to those who cannot protest. In a knee-jerk reaction, the government has suspended the commissioner of police and a host of other policemen. It is not as if Karnataka alone is guilty of this senseless display of power. Many other state governments have been equally facetious and ridiculous in the past to pin down the blame on the police as if they were guilty of causing a stampede. Inefficiency and negligence on the part of any government agency has to be punished, no doubt. There is no room for any charity here. But then, fairness demands that a simple and credible procedure has to precede any harsh action like suspension. As head of government, the chief minister should remember that such peremptory action only damages his image and reduces his credibility. More than this, the suspension of a high police official demoralises the whole force and makes it less effective in a crisis. There are several questions which call for answers from the Karnataka government. Did the city police refuse to give the nod to the holding of the event? There are reports that suggest the police commissioner was against the celebrations being held at such short notice. If so, why was he overruled? The bane of our democracy is that the politician is omniscient and is considered superior in wisdom to any professional civil servant, such as the commissioner of police with years of field experience. Our system endows the ballot box with undeserved wisdom in some places. Let me add that the replaced commissioner enjoyed a good reputation and seems to be a victim of unfortunate circumstances. Were the chief secretary and the director general of police consulted before acting against the policemen concerned? If the answer is in the affirmative, what advice did they give? I cannot believe they would have endorsed the thoughtless action which was obviously more for optics than for any real reason of promoting administrative norms or efficiency. My hunch is that the State action was for appeasing enraged public opinion. This is the ruse many governments adopt when caught napping. If any harsh action against a civil servant such as suspension should appear credible it has to be preceded by a brief and quick preliminary enquiry. Without that any punitive action such as suspension is unwarranted and bad in law. Suspension of a government official, whatever be the rank, without application of mind on the part of the head of administration smacks of arbitrariness and vindictiveness. The suspended policemen were not common criminals who deserved to be hanged without a hearing. They could have been withdrawn from the field temporarily and made to await the outcome of internal enquiry. The haste with which they were suspended is disgraceful....