The Mysuru Dasara inquiry into an incident that prevented two ministers from attending the Nandi Dhwaja puja is being conducted by Karnataka’s Chief Secretary, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said on Thursday. The incident occurred during the Dasara programme in Mysuru and has been described by the Chief Minister as an administrative lapse.
Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said the ministers were stopped while they were going to perform the puja. He said he had personally instructed officials to allow the ministers to attend the ceremony, but the instruction was not followed. The inquiry is intended to establish how the protocol failure occurred and which officials were responsible for the coordination at the venue.
“This is the carelessness of officials,” Shivakumar said, according to the report. He added that police personnel and officials had worked extensively to ensure the success of the Dasara celebrations, even as he acknowledged the disruption involving the ministers.
The incident places the administrative coordination of a large public festival under scrutiny. Mysuru Dasara involves senior political leaders, government departments, police personnel, ceremonial events and large public gatherings. The movement of dignitaries to restricted or formally designated areas therefore depends on instructions being communicated clearly between the political, civil and police administrations.
Shivakumar also referred to an incident during Shivamogga Dasara while responding to questions about preparations and safety. He said the government had anticipated the possibility of such incidents and had held a meeting led by Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy to take precautions for Mysuru Dasara. The government had selected an elephant named Prashanth to carry the howdah, he said.
The Chief Minister described the Shivamogga incident as a warning and said greater care would be taken in future. He said no one had been harmed in that episode. His remarks indicate that the administration is treating coordination and safety at Dasara-linked events as operational concerns requiring closer attention in subsequent editions.
Despite the protocol lapse, Shivakumar said the Dasara procession, including the torchlight parade and tableaux, was conducted successfully. He said the celebrations had conveyed the grandeur of India and received appreciation from the chief ministers of Kerala and Telangana. According to him, the two states had indicated that they would send cultural teams to future Dasara celebrations.
The Chief Secretary’s inquiry is the next official step in the Mysuru incident. Its findings will determine how the lapse occurred and whether changes are required in the way officials, police personnel and ministers are coordinated during major ceremonial events.
