Bengaluru stampede: Police complaint filed against Virat Kohli as arrests and suspensions follow tragedy

Bengaluru: A police complaint has been filed against Indian cricketer Virat Kohli in connection with the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and left dozens injured during a felicitation event for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

The complaint, lodged at the Cubbon Park Police Station on Friday by social activist HM Venkatesh alleges that Kohli promoted “gambling through IPL,” inciting a massive crowd to gather, which led to the tragedy. Venkatesh accused the Indian Premier League of "contaminating the game of cricket" and called for Kohli and his teammates to be named as accused in the ongoing case.

“Virat Kohli of the Bangalore RCB team is the most prominent among those who participated in such gambling and incited people to gather in a specific place and caused this tragedy,” Venkatesh wrote in his complaint. Police have confirmed that his allegations will be examined as part of the larger investigation already underway.

Four people, including senior RCB official Nikhil Sosale and three event managers, were arrested early on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court granted interim relief to several office-bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), directing the police not to take any coercive action against them until further orders. KSCA President Raghu Ram Bhat, Secretary A Shankar, Treasurer ES Jairam and others had petitioned the court to quash the FIR registered against them.

Sosale also approached the High Court, seeking to declare his arrest illegal, claiming it took place without sufficient evidence or a preliminary enquiry.

On Thursday, Bengaluru police registered an FIR against the RCB franchise, event organiser DNA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., and the KSCA under charges including culpable homicide and unlawful assembly.

The High Court has adjourned the matter to June 9, as investigations continue into the deadly incident that shocked the city and raised serious questions about crowd control and event planning.

- With inputs from agencies