The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Head of Marketing, Nikhil Sosale, has been released on a temporary bail and has also been asked to surrender his passport. Sosale, along with two of his other associates from DNA Entertainment Network, named Kiran Kumar (Senior Event Manager) and Sunil Mathew (Vice President - Business Affairs), were arrested on June 6, at the Bangalore International Airport while trying to flee the city in the wake of the tragic stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

See also: RCB marketing head arrested, event organizers detained in deadly stampede case

Temporary respite for Sosale and his close aids

Sosale was taken into custody by the Central Crime Branch upon arrival at the airport during the early hours of Friday, June 6. On the same day, Sosale's attorney raised concerns regarding the legality of the arrest in the Karnataka High Court; however, the case was postponed until the beginning of the following week. The High Court listened to the arguments presented by both parties until Wednesday and delivered its ruling on Thursday afternoon, June 12.

The High Court granted interim bail to Sosale, Kiran, and Sunil on the condition that they surrender their passports. Justice SR Krishna Kumar directed the release of the three convicted men on June 12. Sandesh Chouta, a senior advocate representing Sosale, countered the allegations against him by saying that the police have no right to target employees, stating that there is no vicarious liability.  

Contrary to Chouta's claims, advocate general Shashi Kiran Shetty, appearing for the state, put the blame back on RCB, stating that proper permissions for the victory parade were not obtained. The announcement was previously made in a now-deleted tweet from the RCB. 

The serious matter has now gone to the High Court, where RCB, KSCA, and the State are all trading blame with one another. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), in its defence, said that they are only responsible for facilitating cricketing activities in the state of Karnataka and had no role to play in organizing the event. The governing body further added that the task force, responsible for maintaining security in the stadium premises, was not within their scope either.

The horrific stampede outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 has now resulted in major legal proceedings. Bengaluru police have arrested Nikhil Sosale, marketing and revenue head for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Diageo India. Sosale was arrested at Bengaluru airport while allegedly trying to board a flight to Mumbai. The arrest is a part of the ongoing probe into the tragic crowd crush that killed 11 people and left 64 others injured while they were celebrating RCB's IPL 2025 victory.

Besides Sosale's arrest, three employees of DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd.—namely Kiran, Sumanth, and Sunil Mathew—have also been arrested. The organization had been in charge of hosting the victory party at the stadium. The three people were summoned to Cubbon Park Police Station for questioning, where the FIR is filed. The FIR identifies RCB, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) as accused in the case.

At the same time, the KSCA secretary and treasurer are said to be absconding. Police visits to their homes have been uneventful. This comes after the Karnataka government has faced unprecedented backlash for the way it handled the event, where allegations of mismanagement and a lack of care have ramped up. Several senior police officers, including Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, have been suspended by the state government for lapses in security.

Political Fallout and Public Outrage

The stampede has now become a political controversy, with the opposition BJP calling for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar to resign. Eyewitnesses and reports have indicated that Shivakumar went on enjoying the celebration and posing for photos with the RCB players within the stadium despite news of the stampede breaking through.

🚨 BREAKING: Nikhil Sosale, RCB Marketing head has bedd arrested at the airport. pic.twitter.com/AJzP1p6I1P

— Tata IPL 2025 Commentary (@IPL2025Auction) June 6, 2025

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Public anger has continued to build, particularly at the seeming indifference of organizers and officials. As arrests are now progressing and main characters are being tagged as accused, the spotlight is still on ensuring accountability and justice for the victims and their kin.