Bengaluru, June 7: Police in Bengaluru have arrested four people, including the marketing head of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), in connection with a deadly stampede earlier this week outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people and injured more than 60 during the team’s victory celebration.
The arrested include Nikhil Sosale, RCB’s top marketing executive, who was detained early Friday morning at Kempegowda International Airport while attempting to fly to Mumbai. Sosale manages the team’s promotional activities and social media, and is a key liaison between players and the franchise.
Three other individuals from event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks were also detained: Vice President Sunil Mathew, and executives Kiran Kumar and Sumanth. The arrests follow a late-night directive issued by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to apprehend officials linked to the event.
The stampede occurred as thousands of fans thronged multiple gates of the stadium to celebrate RCB’s first IPL title win. The chaos led to deadly overcrowding at gates 2, 2A, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21.
Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) under several sections of the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, voluntarily causing hurt, and endangering life or personal safety. The RCB franchise, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) have all been named as accused entities.
Authorities also revealed that the event was promoted on social media by the RCB franchise despite lacking official permission. A second FIR was registered based on a complaint from an injured individual.
Two top KSCA officials — secretary Shankar A and treasurer Jayram — are currently absconding. Police said searches have been conducted at their residences and efforts are ongoing to trace them. Authorities also searched the home of DNA Networks founder T Venkat Vardhan.
In the wake of the tragedy, Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and four other senior officers were suspended for alleged negligence. Senior IPS officer Seemanth Kumar Singh has been appointed as the new city police commissioner.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, accusing the ruling Congress government of administrative failure. Congress leaders, in turn, have accused the BJP of politicizing the incident.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the incident. The CID is expected to formally take over the investigation soon. The stampede, which marked one of the deadliest sports-related crowd incidents in recent years in India, has triggered widespread outrage and calls for stricter crowd management and safety regulations at public events.
