RCB marketing head Nikhil Sosale arrested in Bengaluru stampede case

New Delhi: Karnataka Police on Friday took into custody senior officials of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd in connection with the deadly stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and left over 50 injured, NewsDrum reported.

Among those detained is Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing and Revenue at RCB. He is being questioned alongside Sunil Mathew and Kiran Kumar from DNA Entertainment, the event management company responsible for organising RCB’s IPL 2025 victory celebrations.

Police sources confirmed the arrests came a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah instructed the Director General and Inspector General of Police to take swift and strict action against those responsible. “There appears to be clear irresponsibility and carelessness on the part of the organisers,” the CM had said, referring to the findings of the preliminary investigation.

An FIR has been registered against RCB, DNA Entertainment, and officials of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). The police are probing potential violations related to crowd control, event permissions, and safety protocols during Wednesday night’s event that drew over 2.5 lakh fans to the stadium premises, far exceeding its 35,000-seat capacity.

The stampede occurred when gates were closed after the venue exceeded capacity, leading to a deadly crush among the gathering crowd. Eyewitnesses reported chaos, lack of security, and no advance crowd management.

RCB has issued a statement expressing sorrow over the incident and pledged full cooperation with the authorities.

Meanwhile, political and public pressure continues to mount, with widespread calls for accountability and for stricter enforcement of event safety norms going forward. The High Court has directed the state to submit a status report by June 10, while the investigation into the negligence continues.