Bengaluru, 6 June

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday removed his close aide and political secretary K Govindaraj, a day after top heads in the Bengaluru commissioner's office rolled with the commissioner B Dayanand being suspended in connection with the 11 deaths due to stampede at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The government also transferred Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Intelligence, Hemant Nimbalkar. 

Sources close to Siddaramaiah told Salar News that Govindaraj was "sacked'' as the CM was upset with the latter's statements to the media.

Govindaraj told the media that he had advised Siddaramaiah not to hold the felicitation for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team on the steps of Vidhana Soudha.

Meanwhile, four officials of RCB and event management firm DNA Entertainment Private Limited were arrested. Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing and Revenue of RCB, Sunil Mathew and Kiran Kumar from DNA Entertainment Private Limited are among those who have been arrested, sources said.

Some of them were reportedly taken into custody from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).

They were brought to Cubbon Park police station for questioning, sources said.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said “our teams are taking up the case very seriously, and ultimately the case has to go to CID. So before going to CID, whatever legal formalities have to be done by our team, they are doing it,” he said.

The issue propped up before the Karnataka High Court, when it granted key office bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) interim protection from arrest.

Justice SR Krishna Kumar, who heard the petition seeking to quash the FIR against the KSCA office-bearers, restrained the police from taking any coercive action against the officials until the next hearing. The petition will be taken up again on 16 June.

Senior advocates Ashok Haranahalli and Shyam Sundar represented the KSCA officials, while Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty appeared on behalf of the State.

Haranahalli raised concern over the Sosale’s arrest, claiming it indicated a targeted approach. The AG responded that Sosale had been apprehended at the airport while allegedly attempting to flee to Dubai.

The plea submitted by KSCA President Raghuram Bhat, Secretary A Shankar, Treasurer ES Jayaram, and the association's management argued that the FIR naming them was a "knee-jerk" reaction by the police under pressure from the State government.

Meanwhile, HM Venkatesh, a Bengaluru-based activist, approached the Cubbon Park Police Station seeking to make Virat Kohli the main accused of an FIR. 

CM transfers his Chief Secretary

A government notification on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah removing political secretary K Govindaraj said, "In continuation of government order on 1 June, 2023, Govindaraj who had been appointed as the Chief Minister’s Political Secretary, is hereby withdrawn from the said position with immediate effect. Accordingly, Govindaraj is relieved from the political secretary's post with immediate effect.''

“Govindaraj was instrumental for holding the event on the Vidhana Soudha steps. Siddaramaiah reluctantly agreed after Govindaraj arranged a meeting of the DNA event managers and representatives of Karnataka State Cricket Association with the chief minister. Govindaraj also ensured the police commissioner B Dayanand (now suspended) and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh met the CM in connection with the celebrations.  How can he do a turnaround now and say he advised the CM against holding the event. It's totally unacceptable and Siddaramaiah took it seriously and is very upset with him,'' sources said.

Sources said that Govindaraj, who is also an MLC, and other comments that he has nothing to do with cricket and he is the president of State Olympics Federation did not go down well with the CM. The DNA Entertainment Network representatives have also given a statement that they were approached by Govindaraj to hold the victory celebrations on Vidhana Soudha steps, they added.  Siddaramaiah has now only one political secretary Naseer Ahmed.