The aftermath of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s historic IPL 2025 victory saw a tragedy occur during the celebratory atmosphere as a massive crowd rushed outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, leading to a horrific stampede, claiming the lives of 11 individuals and injuring many more.
Following this, Karnataka police arrested four individuals connected to the event. RCB’s Head of Marketing and Revenue at Diageo India, Nikhil Sosale, was taken into custody at the Bengaluru airport when he was flying out to Mumbai. Notably, Sosale was identified as an important figure in the organisational aspects of the celebration.
Three employees of DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd., Kiran Kumar (Senior Event Manager), Sunil Mathew (Vice President Business Affairs), and another staffer, Sumanth, were also detained. DNA Entertainment was the event organiser responsible for coordinating the victory parade and public gathering.
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Earlier, an FIR was registered against RCB, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), charging them with multiple offences, including culpable homicide that does not qualify as murder. Furthermore, the KSCA secretary and treasurer were reportedly absconding when police attempted to reach their residences.
Simultaneously, CM Siddaramaiah ordered the suspension of several top police officials, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, Additional Commissioner Vikash Kumar Vikash, and multiple officers from Cubbon Park Police Station, citing failure in ensuring public safety.
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The Karnataka government has assigned the investigation responsibility to a one-man judicial commission led by retired High Court judge Justice Michael D’Cunha, with a 30-day deadline to submit the report. The inquiry has been supplemented by a CID probe, as instructed by the state cabinet.
Additionally, the Karnataka High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident, seeking detailed answers from the government on crowd control preparations, permissions for the event, and the reason behind the decision to allow free public entry without proper infrastructure.
