THE Bengaluru police have arrested a senior Royal Challengers Bengaluru official, Nikhil Sosale, in relation to the death of 11 people and injuries to many more in Wednesday’s stampede during an event held to celebrate the team winning IPL 2025.
The arrest followed the Karnataka state government suspending top police officials on Thursday, while appointing a new commissioner, Seemanth Kumar Singh.
In their FIR on Thursday, the Bengaluru police claim that they denied RCB permission to conduct their victory parade at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, around which the stampede occurred leading to casualties.
RCB were listed as the first accused along with DNA Entertainment, the franchise’s event partners, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which is in charge of the stadium premises.
As per the Bengaluru police, officers had been on duty around the stadium until 5:30am on June 4, the day after RCB’s victory in the IPL final, and due to the difficulty of managing another large crowd, permission for the event was denied.
“Despite this, KSCA, RCB, and DNA proceeded with the event, ignoring police instructions,” the FIR said.
“Without any official permission, on June 4, RCB announced their celebration and victory parade on their social media and website, inviting fans to join. Once this news spread on TV channels and social media, we (Police) informed our senior officers and requested security and necessary arrangements.”
According to the police, RCB’s posting of free entry passes on their social media channels worsened the situation as the franchise hadn’t informed the police or public about how passes would be distributed, causing confusion among the fans gathered outside.
There has been no official statement or reaction from the franchise since the arrest has been made.
On Thursday evening, the state government as well as RCB, owned by liquor giants Diageo, announced a compensation of INR 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, while covering all medical expenses for the injured. ESPNcricinfo has reached out to Sosale and RCB for comment. (ESPNcricinfo).