The Karnataka government on Thursday defended the suspension of Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vikash Kumar before the High Court (HC), arguing that he and his colleagues acted as though they were "servants of RCB" while making arrangements for the Indian Premier League (IPL) victory celebration, which led to a stampede that left 11 people dead and 33 injured.

According to news agency PTI, senior counsel PS Rajagopal, representing the state, told the court that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had submitted a proposal to the police regarding the victory celebrations even before the final IPL match took place. However, instead of obtaining formal authorisation for such a large public gathering, police officers began making security arrangements without consulting their superiors or confirming the necessary permissions.

"When RCB made a last-minute request to hold a victory parade, police officers began making arrangements as if they were servants of RCB, without even checking for the necessary permissions," Rajagopal said.