Oppn Turns Up Heat on Govt Over B'luru Deaths

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.

- Arun Dev

BENGALURU:

"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."

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."