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Hindustan Times
3 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.
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Siddaramaiah sacks political secy & intelligence chief amid blame game over stampede that killed 11
'He was the one who insisted on the celebrations and then told The Times of India that he advised the government against it,' said one person directly aware of the developments. Govindraj is a long-standing president of the Karnataka Olympic Association (KOA) and is a member of the Upper House of the state legislature. Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sacked his political secretary and close aide, as many within the government believed it was he who insisted on celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden IPL championship victory. The state government also transferred Hemanth Nimbalkar, the Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) as heads continued to roll after the Chinnaswamy stadium stampede on Wednesday. Nimbalkar will retain his role as Commissioner, Department of Information and Public Relations. He will be replaced by S. Ravi, who will take over as the new intelligence chief, the government said in a notification. The government has been under increasing pressure to take action against those responsible for the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium which claimed 11 lives and left many injured on 4 June. 'At the Cabinet meeting yesterday (5 June), ministers complained (to the CM) that Govindraj was the one who insisted on holding the celebrations and then telling the media that he asked the government not to hold it,' the person cited above said. The BJP and Janata Dal (JD(S) held a joint press conference in Bengaluru Friday where they said that the CM's office was directly responsible for the Chinnaswamy stadium tragedy. H.D. Kumaraswamy, the former CM and Union Minister for Large and Medium Industries, said that the state government was going after efficient police officers instead of holding themselves accountable. 'Both CM and Deputy CM are responsible for the tragedy due to their obsession with power and publicity. Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar from Kanakapura was busy showing off. He was at court for a case in Kanakapura when he learned the Royal Challengers team was arriving in Bengaluru. To welcome them, the CM and his team had planned a grand reception at the steps of Vidhana Soudha. Learning this, D.K. Shivakumar rushed straight from court to HAL airport holding the RCB flag,' Kumaraswamy explained. He added that the RCB celebration was nothing but a PR stunt gone wrong for the government. 'Dayananda had efficiently handled security for New Year celebrations and multiple cricket matches. Even when lakhs gathered on MG Road and Brigade Road, he ensured nothing untoward happened. Now they've suspended such an officer! What message are they sending?' he asked. Bengaluru South MP, Tejasvi Surya too posted on X asking why law enforcement authorities were being selective in their probe of the tragedy. 'Why is Bangalore Police applying the law selectively? If RCB is being probed over social media posts, why aren't CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar being summoned?' he asked in his post. Why is Bangalore Police applying the law selectively? If RCB is being probed over social media posts, why aren't CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar being summoned? They were equally involved and officially participated in the felicitation events at both Vidhana Soudha and… — Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) June 6, 2025 In 2017, during Siddaramaiah's first term as the chief minister, the Income Tax department had allegedly unearthed a diary from Govindraj's home with details of money, earned from kickbacks to senior Congress leaders. In February 2017, BJP's B.S. Yediyurappa alleged that Siddaramaiah received a kickback of Rs 150 crore for sanctioning the controversial Rs 1,791 crore steel flyover in Bengaluru. Of this amount, Rs 65 crore was paid to the party high command, Yediyurappa had claimed. It was alleged that Govindraj's diary had initials like RG, SG and others which the BJP said was meant to denote the Congress high command. Eleven people, including a 14-year-old girl, died and 47 were injured in the stampede Wednesday afternoon which occurred when lakhs of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of players from the Royal Challengers Bangalore after they won the Indian Premier League. But the celebrations, which were meant to be for special invitees only, turned tragic when a huge crowd gathered outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium and tried to climb trees and barricades to enter the stadium, triggering a stampede. On Thursday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the decision to immediately suspend Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, Assistant Commissioner of Police C. Balakrishna, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division) Shekhar Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash and Circle Police Inspector of Cubbon Park Police station 'It is found that there has been, on the face of it, substantial dereliction of duty by these officers,' the suspension order said. After the suspensions, the opposition BJP and the JDS accused the chief minister of using police officers as scapegoats to deflect responsibility from the government. Siddaramaiah, however, accused the opposition of playing politics over the issue. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also Read: Bengaluru stampede tragedy: What science tells us about crowd control
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'My words were misinterpreted': MLC K Govindaraju denies advising CM Siddaramaiah against RCB parade, distances himself from IPL controversy
BENGALURU: 's political adviser and MLC K. Govindaraju has denied reports suggesting that he advised the chief minister against holding a victory parade for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players from the airport to Vidhana Soudha. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "My words were misinterpreted. Who am I to advise the chief minister on this matter?" Govindaraju said, clarifying that he had no role in decisions related to the cricket celebration. He further distanced himself from the controversy by stating, "I would be the last person to advise anything on cricket, since I head the Karnataka Olympic Association." Govindaraju's clarification comes amid criticism over the handling of the IPL victory celebrations, during which a stampede claimed 11 lives in Bengaluru.
India Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 in Bengaluru rescheduled to July 5
The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 is scheduled to take place on July 5, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The JSW Sports, the organisers of the event, made the announcement on Tuesday, June 3. The event was earlier set to be held on May 24, but had to be postponed due to the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.'Bringing the Neeraj Chopra Classic back this quickly has taken an enormous collective effort, and we're happy to confirm its return on July 5. Our teams have worked tirelessly, and the unwavering support from the Athletics Federation of India, the Karnataka Olympic Association, the Government of Karnataka, and our partners made this possible,' Karan Yadav, the Chief Commercial Officer of JSW Sports, energy around this event is bigger than ever, and we're set to deliver a celebration of javelin that's bolder, better, and even more unforgettable,' he added. The upcoming one-day event is expected to showcase an impressive lineup, including Grenada's two-time world champion Anderson Peters, Germany's 2016 Olympic gold medallist Thomas Rohler, and Kenya's Julius Yego. While Neeraj Chopra had extended an invitation to Pakistan's Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem, he opted out to concentrate on preparations for the Asian Athletics Chopra setting the bar higherNeeraj Chopra has been in outstanding form. On May 16, he breached the elusive 90-metre mark at the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 90.23 metres, becoming only the 25th man in history to cross this iconic barrier. This effort surpassed his previous personal best of 89.94 metres, set at the 2022 Stockholm Diamond continued his remarkable consistency by finishing second at the Janusz Kusociski Memorial in Chorzw, Poland, on May 23. His best throw of the day was 84.14 metres. With this result, Neeraj extended his streak of top-two finishes to 22 consecutive competitions - a run that began with his gold medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics in Watch
