Four individuals have been detained in relation to the stampede that took place outside Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team’s inaugural IPL victory celebrations, resulting in the deaths of 11 people earlier this week.
The police stated that Nikhil Sosale, a senior marketing executive of the RCB, was one of those detained. He was detained at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, at approximately 6.30am while heading to Mumbai. Mr. Sosale oversees all promotional endeavors for the RCB and serves as the primary connection between the players and the franchise. He manages the social media accounts for the team.
The other arrested individuals are part of the event management firm DNA Entertainment Private Limited – Sunil Mathew (Vice President, oversees IPL events for DNA), Kiran, and Sumanth. These events occurred shortly after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed, citing multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which includes culpable homicide not amounting to murder. On Thursday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed the apprehension of members from the RCB team, DNA Entertainment Private Limited, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Authorities reported that the detentions occurred during an overnight mission conducted by the Central Crime Branch, supervised by Deputy Commissioner of Police Akshay. The suspects are expected to be transferred to the Crime Investigation Department today.
Two officials from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) – secretary Shankar and treasurer Jayram – are evading capture, and efforts are underway to locate them. Authorities stated they were not located in their residences. The crush happened on Wednesday night outside the stadium, where a significant crowd gathered to join in the RCB’s celebration of victory. Over 60 individuals sustained injuries in the event.
On Thursday, Siddaramaiah suspended Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda and several other senior police officials in connection with the incident.
According to an official notification, senior IPS officer Seemanth Kumar Singh, Additional Director General of Police, Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force, was “transferred with immediate effect and posted until further orders” as Additional Director General of Police and Bengaluru police commissioner.
The state government’s action came amidst an all-out attack by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which has demanded the resignations of Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar. The ruling Congress has accused the BJP of playing “dirty politics”. According to the FIR, the RCB franchise announced the programme on social media inviting people for the event despite having no permission from the competent authority.
Earlier, Mr Shivakumar turned emotional while talking about the tragedy and said that Bengaluru has lost its image due to the incident. The families of the victims have blamed the authorities for the stampede.
