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News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Bengaluru Stampede: CM Siddaramaiah Hikes Ex Gratia For Victims' Families To Rs 25 Lakh
Last Updated: Bengaluru Stampede: The Karnataka government has raised the ex gratia amount from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh per family Bengaluru Stampede: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced an increase in compensation for the families of those who died in the Bengaluru stampede, raising the ex gratia amount from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. The decision follows mounting criticism over safety lapses at the public event. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where thousands had gathered for a felicitation event hosted by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to celebrate their maiden IPL victory. As the crowd swelled beyond capacity, a breakdown in crowd control measures led to chaos. The stampede claimed 11 lives and left several others injured. In response, the Karnataka Police registered an FIR on Thursday, naming officials of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), senior representatives of RCB, and executives from DNA Entertainment Networks, the event management firm. They have been booked under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The Karnataka High Court, taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, issued a notice to the state government and requested a status report. The matter has been scheduled for the next hearing on June 10. Meanwhile, the Congress-led Karnataka government sacked as many as five senior police officials, including the Bengaluru Police Commissioner, and several other state government officials. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's political secretary, K Govindaraj, and Information Department head, Hemant Nimbalkar, have also been removed from their posts. First Published: June 07, 2025, 21:47 IST
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Siddaramaiah's political secretary dismissed, ADGP intel shunted out
A day after the suspension of top police officials in connection with the June 4 stampede at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Karnataka government on Friday dismissed MLC K Govindaraj from the post of Political Secretary to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The decision, though not officially linked to the incident, appears to be part of a broader damage control exercise by the government. An official notification issued by the Chief Minister's Office said, 'The appointment of K Govindaraj as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister is hereby revoked with immediate effect.' Govindaraj, a key political aide to Siddaramaiah and a prominent figure in Karnataka's sports circles, was closely associated with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebrations that ended in tragedy, with 11 people dead and over 50 injured in a stampede outside the stadium. Although the government has not publicly cited reasons for the move, officials suggest that the decision followed growing criticism of Govindaraj's involvement in the event and the surfacing of a letter he wrote on June 4. In the letter, addressed to government departments, Govindaraj had requested 'arrangements for a big celebration for the RCB team in Bengaluru on Tuesday.' The letter has reportedly caused embarrassment to the Chief Minister's Office. Earlier in the day, Govindaraj distanced himself from the controversy, denying reports that he had advised the Chief Minister against a full-fledged victory parade from the airport to Vidhana Soudha. 'Who am I to advise the Chief Minister?' he said, adding, 'I would be the last person to advise anything on cricket, since I head the Karnataka Olympic Association.' A sports administrator and the current president of the Karnataka Olympic Association, Govindaraj's sacking follows closely on the heels of the abrupt resignation of LK Atheeq, the Additional Chief Secretary to the CM, earlier this week. Both exits have further fuelled speculation that the government is struggling to contain the fallout from the deadly crowd surge. On the same day, the government also transferred Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Intelligence, Hemant M Nimbalkar. He, however, continues to hold charge as ADGP and Commissioner, Department of Information and Public Relations. Opposition parties criticised the government's recent actions, calling them reactive and politically motivated. Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra accused the Congress-led government of acting only under public and political pressure. 'The state government has acted only after coming under pressure… Action has been taken against RCB and the Karnataka Cricket Association. The Chief Minister suddenly suspended senior police officers, including the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, and five other officials,' Vijayendra said.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Political slugfest heats up as BJP intensifies attack on Karnataka government over Bengaluru stampede
The Karnataka government on Friday removed chief minister Siddaramaiah's political secretary K Govindaraj and suspended a senior state intelligence officer amid a swirling political crisis over the mayhem during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) title celebrations, with opposition parties reiterating that the CM and his deputy DK Shivakumar take responsibility for the 11 deaths and step down. 'The appointment of K Govindaraj as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister is hereby revoked with immediate effect,' said a government notification issued on Friday, after a letter the member of legislative council (MLC) purportedly wrote about Wednesday's celebrations went viral. Although the government did not reveal the reasons for the move, officials suggested that the decision followed growing criticism of Govindaraj's involvement in the event. In the letter, addressed to government departments, Govindaraj had requested 'arrangements for a big celebration for the RCB team in Bengaluru on Tuesday.' ALSO READ | Top cop's suspension over Bengaluru stampede draws flak from ex-officers, opposition Earlier in the day, before his ouster,Govindaraj distanced himself from the controversy, denying reports that he had advised the chief minister to hold a full-fledged victory parade from the airport to Vidhana Soudha. 'Who am I to advise the chief minister?' he said. 'I would be the last person to advise anything on cricket, since I head the Karnataka Olympic Association.' The government also suspended additional director general of police (ADGP), intelligence, Hemant Nimbalkar, said in an order, a day after Siddaramaiah shunted out Bengaluru police chief B Dayananda and four other police officers. Senior IPS officer S Ravi, who was the home secretary, will replace Nimbalkar as the state intelligence chief. Meanwhile, Shivakumar accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of 'politicising dead bodies', as the opposition party in the state blamed the government for the mayhem. ALSO READ | Complaint against Virat Kohli over stampede during RCB's celebration in Bengaluru 'They (opposition) are trying to do politics over dead bodies. We are not doing it. We have do they have to target me? In what way am I responsible?' he said. 'Karnataka State Cricket Association wrote (to the government) seeking permission. The event was held. I'm the Bengaluru minister..... I had also gone to the stadium as the Bengaluru minister, what is wrong?''I had gone to the airport (to receive the RCB team). I requested them to cooperate as there was no permission for the victory procession. I gave them a Kannada flag and welcomed them. What's wrong? What crime have I committed?' he said. The BJP accused the Congress of punishing officers to shield political mismanagement. 'For the first time in the history of Karnataka, cold-blooded murderers are punishing top police officers,' the party's state unit wrote on X. Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra accused the Congress-led government of acting only under public and political pressure. 'Action has been taken against RCB and the Karnataka Cricket Association. The chief minister suddenly suspended senior police officers, including the Bengaluru city police commissioner, and five other officials to save himself,' Vijayendra said. The Janata Dal (Secular) blamed Shivakumar for the chaos and demanded his resignation. Leader of opposition R. Ashok also questioned the motives behind the suspensions, citing an internal power struggle in the ruling party. ALSO READ | Lessons and questions from Bengaluru stampede tragedy that took 11 young lives 'Shivakumar said that the police had warned of the danger in advance and that the police were not responsible. Now the CM Siddaramaiah has suddenly suspended several senior police officers, including the Bangalore Police Commissioner,' Ashok said on X. 'Is the ongoing cold war and covert fistfight between CM Siddaramaiah and DCM D.K. Shivakumar, the cause of this tragedy?' he asked. Reacting to allegations that former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and the BJP have victimised police officers, Siddaramaiah said that the Opposition is doing politics. 'I will not do politics in this case. Action has been taken against those who have not acted responsibly on the surface,' he said.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"Unhappy With Duplicity": Sources On Why Siddaramaiah Sacked His Top Aide
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was apparently "unhappy with the duplicity shown" by his political secretary, MLC K Govindaraj, in the wake of Bengaluru stampede deaths that led to his sacking on Friday, top sources have told NDTV. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was apparently "unhappy with the duplicity shown" by his political secretary, MLC K Govindaraj, in the wake of Bengaluru stampede deaths that led to his sacking on Friday, top sources have told NDTV. Eleven people died in a crowd crush outside M Chinnaswamy stadium, as tens of thousands turned up to cheer Royal Challengers Bengaluru's title win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday. "The appointment of K Govindaraj as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister is hereby revoked with immediate effect. Accordingly, K Govindaraj is hereby relieved from the post of Political Secretary to the Chief Minister with immediate effect," an official notification said today. Siddaramaiah suspended Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda and four other senior police officials in connection with the stampede incident. "Action has been taken against those who, on the surface, failed to discharge their responsibilities," Siddaramaiah had said. Sources said during a meeting at the Chief Minister's house on Wednesday morning - hours before the stampede - Mr Govindaraj had pushed for the RCB celebrations and the felicitation ceremony to be allowed despite the police commissioner refusing to agree to three events and stating that a victory parade could not be given a go-ahead. But a quote given by him to a newspaper contradicted this completely, sai the sources. "When he was asked by the newspaper if it was him who advised the Chief Minister to participate in the felicitation at Vidhan Soudha, he allegedly claimed that he in fact advised the Chief Minister against holding or participating in the event. This was used as a quote in an article," said the source. The now former political advisor to the Chief Minister has claimed that he was misquoted by the newspaper. "This duplicity is said to have irked the Chief Minister. He also called cops to go easy on some big names who were picked up in the stampede case. All this is said to be the reason behind his ouster," the source added. Earlier this morning, the Karnataka police said they have arrested four people in connection with the stampede, including Nikhil Sosale, the head of marketing for RCB. Mr Sosale, who handles all promotional activities for the RCB, was arrested from the Bengaluru airport around 6.30 am. The other three people who were arrested were officials of the event management company DNA Entertainment Private Limited, including its Vice-President Sunil Mathew, who handles IPL events for the company. All the victims of the stampede tragedy are under 40, with a 14-year-old girl being the youngest. BJP State President BY Vijayendra has questioned how the event was allowed despite the police refusing permission. "Who in the government granted the approval?" he asked. "Lakhs of RCB fans gathered near Vidhana Soudha -- who authorised this?" he added. He said that no permission was granted for Chinnaswamy Stadium either, and the FIR states the event was illegal. "Despite this, why did Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar go to Chinnaswamy Stadium and take part in the celebration? Why did he hold and kiss the trophy?" he questioned.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"Saw People Dying, Crying For Water": Witness Recalls Bengaluru Horror
He was there at RCB's victory celebrations near the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday but narrowly escaped injuries after he realised that the crowd was swelling to an unmanageable size and decided to leave the area. Minutes later, his pulse quickened when he got a message from his family that his son, in his early twenties, was also in the same spot and could not be contacted. "I was very nervous. When I tried to contact him, I could not get any network, possibly because of the large crowd. Thankfully, I got a message from him saying he was at the front of the crowd and describing the atmosphere as beautiful," the witness to the stampede, in which 11 people - including a 14-year-old girl were killed - told NDTV. "I was already home by then. I did not know he was there. I scolded him over texts and asked him to get out immediately. About 20 minutes later, he managed to get out of the area and called his sister, who was also worried. She asked him to make a video call to prove he was okay, and only then did we breathe a sigh of relief," he recalled. Recounting the situation, the man, who requested not to be identified, said too many people were packed into a small area and there was no space to move. "I saw people were dying. There was no water, people were crying for were no arrangements for first aid or ambulances. When the Chief Minister knew so many people would turn up, why weren't there proper security arrangements? I don't blame the police, in fact, I salute them. They managed the situation well, otherwise the deaths could have crossed 100," he said. Another Bengaluru resident pointed out that similar celebrations had taken place in Mumbai last year after India won the T20 World Cup, but they were much better managed. "The magisterial inquiry is just an eyewash. Political parties know how to handle crowds, they organise big rallies. How could the arrangements have been so bad for this celebration? People were happy that RCB had won the IPL after 18 years, but the joy has now been turned to tears," he said. The police have arrested four people in connection with the stampede and five police officers, including the Bengaluru police commissioner, have been suspended. On Friday, the Karnataka government also sacked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Political Secretary K Govindaraj and the state intelligence department chief. While the Congress-led government has said it is doing everything possible to help the families of the victims and fix accountability, the opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) have accused it of scapegoating the police officials.
