Tragedy at RCB Celebration: KSCA Officials Get Interim Relief, Court Takes Serious Note
In the aftermath of a tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives and left many injured during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) victory celebration, the Karnataka High Court on Friday granted interim protection from arrest to key office-bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
Justice S R Krishna Kumar, who heard the petition filed by KSCA officials to quash the FIR against them, instructed the police not to take any coercive action until the next hearing. At the same time, he directed the petitioners to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation. The matter will be taken up again on June 16.
Those granted relief include KSCA president and former Karnataka spinner Raghuram Bhatt, vice-president K Sriram, secretary A Shankar, treasurer ES Jairam, and joint secretary and former umpire Shahvir Tarapore.
The court proceedings come amid growing criticism and concern over the chaotic handling of the event, which was held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 4, a day after RCB’s IPL final win.
The KSCA’s counsel argued that the FIR was a “knee-jerk” reaction made under political pressure. They also pointed to the arrest of Nikhil Sosale, RCB’s marketing and revenue head, claiming it reflected a selective and unfair approach. Sosale was arrested at the airport while allegedly trying to fly to Dubai.
In response, the state’s Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty assured the court that the police had no immediate plans to arrest the KSCA officials and only wished to continue the investigation.
Sosale, who has challenged his arrest in the High Court, was taken into custody on Friday. This followed swift action from the state government, which had suspended several senior police officers the day before and appointed a new Commissioner, Seemanth Kumar Singh. Also read: Housefull 5 Released with Two Endings and Fans Are Going Crazy.
The FIR filed by the Bengaluru police on Thursday named RCB as the first accused, followed by their event partner DNA Entertainment, and KSCA, which manages the stadium premises. According to the police, permission for the parade was clearly denied due to crowd control concerns. They claim RCB, DNA, and KSCA went ahead with the event anyway, disregarding police instructions.
The police further said that RCB announced the parade and celebration on social media without informing law enforcement or the public about how passes would be distributed. This created confusion and led to uncontrollable crowds.
In a significant development, the High Court also took suo motu cognisance of the incident and asked the state government to file a status report, which will be heard on June 10.
While the public awaits a formal statement from RCB, the franchise, along with the state government, announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the families of the deceased and assured that medical expenses of the injured would be fully covered.
This tragic incident, which started as a celebration of RCB’s long-awaited IPL victory, has now raised serious questions about planning, accountability, and public safety.
Also read: RCB’s First IPL Title From Trolled to Triumph The Incredible Story.