Bengaluru, June 6: In the wake of the fatal stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives, the Karnataka government on Friday relieved MLC K Govindaraj of his duties as political secretary to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and transferred Hemant Nimbalkar, Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), official sources confirmed.
The high-level shake-up came a day after Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and four other senior officers were suspended for their role in the security lapse during the public celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL success on June 4.
A large crowd had gathered outside the stadium on Wednesday evening for the team’s victory event when a stampede broke out, leaving 11 dead and at least 56 injured.
An official notification stated, “The appointment of K Govindaraj as political secretary to the Chief Minister is hereby revoked with immediate effect.” While the government has not publicly linked the revocation to the incident, sources indicated it was a direct fallout of the stampede.
Govindaraj, a close aide of the chief minister and a prominent figure in Karnataka’s sports and political circles, was seen as a key organiser of the event. His removal signals the government’s intent to address accountability amid mounting criticism.
In parallel, ADGP Hemant Nimbalkar, who heads the state intelligence unit, was also moved out of his position. “Nimbalkar has been transferred, the order is awaited,” officials said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, speaking on Thursday, acknowledged lapses in intelligence gathering that may have contributed to the tragedy. “There was an intelligence failure,” he admitted. “No decision has been made yet about what action is to be taken,” he had said then, before today’s personnel decisions.
The incident has sparked intense public outrage and raised questions about crowd control, pre-event planning, and coordination between agencies. Further administrative action is expected as the probe into the incident continues.
