Two days following the stampede tragedy during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory gathering, the Bengaluru police apprehended four individuals, including RCB’s marketing executive Nikhil Sosale and event coordinator Sunil Mathew, at Kempegowda International Airport.
The authorities have also filed criminal charges against RCB, event agency DNA, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) for organizational failures that led to the mishap. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had directed law enforcement to detain responsible representatives. Officials from KSCA have reportedly been untraceable since the incident.
In a sweeping administrative move, the state suspended five senior officers, including the former Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda. He has been replaced by Seemant Kumar Singh, a senior IPS officer who previously served as the first Police Commissioner of Mangaluru. Singh pledged to take immediate corrective actions and ensure accountability.
The chaos unfolded on Wednesday after an RCB parade plan was abruptly cancelled, even as thousands of fans had already gathered near Vidhana Soudha and M Chinnaswamy Stadium. By afternoon, the crowd had grown to over 50,000 people, many of whom were without official passes. Around 4 PM, when Gate 3 of the stadium was partially opened, a sudden rush ensued, leading to the stampede.
Authorities blamed poor coordination and crowd control measures. Investigations are ongoing, with calls for compensation and stronger regulations for public events.
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