Govind Raj, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's political secretary, shunted days after Bengaluru stampede. (Image: @Iam_KGovindaraj/X)

Siddaramaiah's political secretary sacked after Bengaluru stampede deaths

The Karnataka government has removed K Govindraj from his post as the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's political secretary. The move follows the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Siddaramaiah’s political secretary K Govindraj removed from post
  • Decision follows after stampede at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium
  • Part of a wider post-tragedy administrative overhaul

The Karnataka government on Friday removed K Govindraj, MLC, from his post as political secretary to the Chief Minister. The move is part of a larger shake-up following the recent stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which left 11 people dead.

A government order issued today stated that Govindraj has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect. No reason was mentioned in the notification and the decision comes just a day after the suspension of Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and other top officers. Earlier today, Intelligence Chief Hemanth Nimbalkar was also transferred.

The decisions follow mounting public pressure and outrage over the incident, which occurred during the Indian Premier League victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team.

But while the administration presses ahead with its post-tragedy clean-up, the suspension of B Dayananda triggered a wave of public and institutional backlash.

Since the announcement, a groundswell of support has emerged for the suspended police chief. Former officers, opposition parties, citizens, and online communities have rallied around Dayananda, calling the move premature and politically motivated. The hashtag #IStandWithBDayanand has been trending across platforms as a symbol of protest.

Several former Bengaluru Police Commissioners, including Megharikh and Bhaskar Rao, voiced strong criticism of the decision. Megharikh called it “unfortunate” and “hasty,” saying the police were only one part of a much larger failure. Bhaskar Rao went further, accusing the Deputy Chief Minister of being the real culprit and calling the day of suspension “the darkest day in the history of Karnataka Police.”

“For the first time in the history of Karnataka, cold-blooded murderers are punishing top police officers,” BJP wrote on X.