After a tragic stampede in Bengaluru that claimed the lives of 11 people and injured over 50, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken action. The stampede happened outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first-ever IPL title win.
To prevent such incidents in the future, the BCCI has formed a special three-member committee. This group, led by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, includes Rajeev Shukla and Prabhtej Bhatia. Their job is to create safety guidelines for organizing large-scale victory celebrations. The committee has been asked to submit their recommendations within 15 days.
"In light of the incident that occurred during the victory celebrations in Bengaluru, the Apex Council has decided to constitute a committee to formulate comprehensive guidelines aimed at preventing such occurrences in the future. The committee will comprise: Devajit Saikia (Chairperson), Prabhtej Singh Bhatia (BCCI Treasurer) and Rajeev Shukla (BCCI vice-president). The committee will formulate the guidelines within 15 days," read the BCCI statement.
This tragic event has pushed both cricket authorities and local officials to improve planning and safety for future celebrations, so that fans can enjoy victories without danger.
Bengaluru Stampede Case: RCB's Nikhil Sosale Granted Interim Bail; Faces Further Investigation
Nikhil Sosale, a senior official with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), was granted interim bail on Thursday by the Karnataka High Court in connection with the June 4 stampede that claimed 11 lives and injured dozens more during the IPL team's victory celebrations. He was arrested on June 6 two days after the incident.
Sosale, along with two officials from event management firm DNA Networks, was released under strict conditions, including the mandatory surrender of their passports. Karnataka High Court on Thursday declared the arrest of Nikhil Sosale of RCB and others illegal.
The court’s decision comes amid mounting scrutiny over the handling of the event that drew an uncontrollable crowd outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The defence argued that the arrests were politically motivated and carried out "on the orders of the Chief Minister [Siddaramaiah]" without sufficient investigation or evidence pointing to Sosale’s direct responsibility in the tragedy.
Police maintain that permission for the victory parade at the stadium had been denied in advance, but that RCB’s announcement of free entry passes led to a massive turnout—far exceeding the stadium’s 35,000-seat capacity. The First Information Report (FIR) states that the chaos at multiple entry gates resulted in a fatal stampede, with the bulk of the casualties occurring at gates 2, 2A, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21.
RCB, along with DNA Networks and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), has been named in the FIR. Following public outcry, KSCA treasurer E.S. Jairam and secretary A. Shankar resigned on June 7, accepting "moral responsibility" for the lapses in event coordination.
