Complaint Filed Against Virat Kohli in Bengaluru Stadium Stampede Investigation

A complaint has been lodged against cricketer Virat Kohli at the Cubbon Park Police Station in connection with the June 4 stampede near Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, which resulted in 11 fatalities and numerous injuries.

The complainant, social activist H.M. Venkatesh, has accused Kohli of promoting “gambling through IPL,” alleging that this incited the large crowd that ultimately led to the tragedy. Police have stated that the complaint will be incorporated into the existing registered case and thoroughly examined as part of the ongoing investigation.

In his complaint, Venkatesh contended that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is “not a sport but a gambling that has contaminated the game of cricket.” He further alleged, “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. Therefore, we request you to please make Virat Kohli and his team members accused in the FIR of this tragedy and take action.”

Meanwhile, a Bengaluru Sessions Court on Friday remanded four individuals, including senior Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) official Nikhil Sosale and three event managers, to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the stampede. Their arrests were made in a joint operation by the Cubbon Park police and the Central Crime Branch (CCB) at Kempegowda International Airport in the early hours of June 6.

Earlier on Friday, the Karnataka High Court granted interim relief to the office bearers of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), who had sought to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered against them concerning the stampede. In an interim order, the court directed the state police not to take any coercive action against them until further directives. The High Court has adjourned the case to June 9.

KSCA president Raghu Ram Bhat, secretary A Shankar, treasurer E.S. Jairam, and other KSCA office bearers had collectively moved the High Court to challenge the FIR. Nikhil Sosale also approached the High Court, disputing his arrest on grounds that it was conducted without sufficient evidence and prior to a preliminary police inquiry, seeking a declaration of his arrest as illegal.

On Thursday, Bengaluru police registered an FIR against the RCB franchise, DNA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (an event management company), and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on serious charges including culpable homicide and illegal assembly. A day after the stampede, the Karnataka police suspended multiple IPS officers, including Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda.