Role of 2 senior IAS officers also under scanner over Bengaluru stampede deaths

Indian Express

12 hours ago

The role of two senior Karnataka IAS officers involved in the organisation of a felicitation for the IPL winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket team on June 4 is under probe for possible miscommunications that may have led to the gathering of large crowds and a resultant stampede which killed 11 RCB fans at the stadium.
The two senior officers and the former political secretary of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah were influential in convincing the Congress government to organise an official felicitation for the team on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha, the government headquarters, at 4 pm on June 4, sources have revealed.
Although the IAS officers were not involved with a follow-up event held the same day at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at 5 pm – by the RCB and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to celebrate RCB's victory with fans – where the stampedes occurred, one of the officers reportedly issued public statements regarding a 'victory parade' despite the absence of police clearances.
Senior IAS officer and Department of Personnel and Administration (DPAR) secretary Sathyavathi G, who facilitated the Vidhana Soudha felicitation for the RCB cricket team on June 4 with clearances from the state chief secretary and the Karnataka chief minister, also communicated to the media that there would be a victory march from Vidhana Soudha to the Chinnaswamy stadium despite the absence of an official police clearance, government sources said.
Video recordings of a statement made by the DPAR secretary to the media at noon on June 4 reveal that she initially stated that there would be a victory parade but requested the public not to gather at the Vidhana Soudha as it is a sensitive security zone and that fans must go the cricket stadium for the celebration.
'The victory march of the RCB will commence from the Vidhana Soudha. This is an iconic and historic moment. This is a historic building. The KSCA representatives have sought our permission and as per the directions of the CM we have granted permission,' the DPAR secretary stated to the media on June 4 about the felicitation and celebration event.
'We are expecting the team at 4 pm. We are going to give them a small felicitation on behalf of the state. From 4 pm, the CM and DCM (Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar) will be present and they will welcome the players and conduct the programme we hope, and we are making all arrangements,' she said.
'My humble request is that the crowd should not come to Vidhana Soudha, the people of Bengaluru should not gather over here. This is only a starting point. They have a victory march and they will be going to the stadium and there are multiple events. The crowd must go to the stadium since there will be restrictions over here,' the DPAR secretary said.
Sources said Sathyavathi's public statement was contrary to what had transpired at a meeting with Siddaramaiah that morning, where the Bengaluru police commissioner had objected to the victory parade saying it would be a security risk.
The Bengaluru police did not, however, officially state on its social media handles on June 4 that there would not be a victory parade, but the messages indicated that only two events were going to be held – the Vidhana Soudha felicitation and the KSCA stadium celebration.
Siddaramaiah who posted on social media about the Vidhana Soudha event at around 1.40 pm, also stated in the post that the public could participate in the event but did not mention a parade.
Despite the lack of police clearances, an open bus was dispatched from the KSCA to the Vidhana Soudha on June 4 at around 4.30 pm to carry the RCB players from the Vidhana Soudha to the stadium in a victory parade. The police did not permit the open parade.
Hospital medical records for the stampede deaths indicate that the first death was declared at 3.45 pm and the last at 5.15 pm, which indicates that the deaths occurred through the course of the felicitation and celebration events.
Filing criminal complaints against the RCB, event manager DNA Networks, and the KSCA, the Bengaluru police have primarily accused the IPL team of sending out social media messages without police clearances from as early as 7 am on June 4 (about the open access victory parade for the RCB team) which resulted in large crowds gathering at the 35,000-capacity stadium and causing the stampede.
Sources said that a key player behind the scenes in getting official clearances – from the bureaucracy and the police – for the events to honour the RCB team was K Govindaraju, the then political secretary of Siddaramaiah. Govindaraju has been a sports administrator for decades and in recent months was tipped to be a likely contender for the post of the KSCA president.
Following the stampede, Siddaramaiah sacked Govindaraju on June 6 without attributing any official reason. The state government also suspended three IPS officers, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, on June 5 for not keeping the chief minister abreast of the developments, including the deaths.
The Karnataka Government has so far defended the actions of the IAS officers involved in the RCB felicitation despite a public backlash over the disciplinary action against IPS officials and questions raised by retired police officers over the selective action.
Sources said the state government is mulling action against serving IAS officers as well and that some of them may be sent on leave.
Siddaramaiah indicated on June 8 that the KSCA officials approached the DPAR for permission for an event to felicitate the RCB players at the Vidhana Soudha. 'The DPAR secretary was apprised of this and granted permission. Of course, I was informed and I said give permission for the event at the Vidhana Soudha steps,' he said.
'In regular course they have informed the DPAR secretary. I was informed by the chief secretary. She said, 'Let us do it'. She said the police had agreed and I said, 'Let us do it'. The KSCA secretary and treasurer came and invited me for the event. It was not a function organised by us but by them,' he said.
'The event at the KSCA was the responsibility of the police and KSCA. The suspension of police officers was because they did not make proper arrangements. What has Sathyavathi done wrong? Nothing has happened at the Vidhana Soudha event,' he added.
The Karnataka government has ordered two separate probes into the stampede apart from a police investigation into the criminal complaint filed by the city police. A judicial commission probe and a magisterial inquiry is also underway.
The Karnataka High Court, meanwhile, has taken up a suo motu petition regarding the stampede deaths.
The flow of events leading to the tragedy as analysed from communications between the KSCA and the government, the social media timelines of RCB handles and the Bengaluru traffic police, as well as statements made in police FIRs suggest that the KSCA sought permission from DPAR on June 3 for an event for felicitation of the RCB cricket by the CM and deputy CM at the government headquarters, Vidhana Soudha, on June 4 in the event of RCB winning the IPL finals against Punjab Super Kings on June 3.
The KSCA CEO Shubendu Ghosh wrote to DPAR, the custodian of the Vidhana Soudha, on June 3 on behalf of event management firm DNA Network for permission to hold a felicitation there.
The DPAR responded on June 4 granting permission after laying down 16 conditions to protect the portals of the Vidhana Soudha where the event would be held on the evening of June 4 with the attendance of the chief minister and deputy chief minister.
The two events, at the Vidhana Soudha and the KSCA, were cleared on the morning of June 4 following a meeting of state and KSCA officials with the chief minister.
The RCB/KSCA sent out a media advisory around 10.30 am on June 4 saying there would be a felicitation by the Karnataka CM at the Vidhana Soudha at 4 PM, a Victory Parade around 5 pm and felicitation at the M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium at 6 PM. A traffic police communication to the media however stated that there would be 'NO victory parade'.
The Bengaluru traffic police timeline on X shows that two traffic advisories were put out around 2.45 pm and 3.30 pm about the felicitation at the Chinnaswamy Stadium at 5 PM.
The government, while suspending five police officers, stated that though the RCB CEO informed the commissioner on June 3 about the victory parade and celebrations on June 4, the police failed to give a written reply to the organisers 'rejecting the permission'.