Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marketing head Nikhil Sosale was arrested at Bengaluru Airport on Friday in connection with the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede that claimed 11 lives and left over 30 injured. Sosale was reportedly en route to Mumbai when he was detained, according to an India Today report.
The Cubbon Park Police Station, which registered the First Information Report (FIR), has named RCB, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd.—the event management company—as the accused.
Police have also detained three DNA Entertainment staff members involved in organizing the RCB IPL 2025 victory celebrations. Sosale, according to a Republic report, was coordinating the promotional campaign, including a victory parade stretching from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium—a move that lacked proper police approval.
Authorities confirmed that the parade promotion was unauthorized, and no permissions were obtained from city police. The resulting chaos triggered a stampede near the stadium gates as thousands of fans gathered to celebrate the team’s IPL win.
The government has filed the case under five sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 105 (culpable homicide). A magisterial inquiry has been launched, and public outrage continues to grow over the preventable tragedy.
According to initial findings, RCB’s victory event was managed by DNA Entertainment under the supervision of KSCA. Police teams are continuing their investigation into accountability failures that led to the fatal incident.
