RCB Official Gets Bail After Stampede Tragedy In Bengaluru, But Can’t Leave India

Nikhil Sosale, the Head of Marketing and Revenue at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has been granted interim bail, reported Cricbuzz on June 12 (Thursday). Sosale, however, has been ordered to surrender his passport.

Sosale, who oversees RCB’s social media communications, was detained by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru Police on June 6 at Kempegowda International Airport while en route to Mumbai.

His arrest came as part of an investigation following a tragic stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 dead and over 50 injured. The CCB also arrested Sunil Mathew, Vice President of DNA Entertainment Private Limited, along with two other officials—Kiran and Sumanth.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The FIR read: "Lakhs of people gathered at the stadium for the programme and the crowd became uncontrollable due to the confusion of organisers on how to allow the people into the stadium which has a seating capacity of around 35,000. 

“The stampede incident and chaos occurred at gate no. 2, 2A, 6, 7, 15,17, 18, 20, and 21, resulting in the death of 11 people and injuring 56. The gathering of lakhs of people outside the stadium is due to the RCB announcement at their official website about the free entry pass distribution, leading to the incident."