Social media clamoured for Virat Kohli’s arrest and officials from Royal Challengers Bengaluru and event management company DNA were arrested from the airport on Friday as public mood and government intent hardened over Wednesday’s stampede.
Social activist H.M. Venkatesh had lodged a complaint against Kohli blaming him for the stampede but police sources said no FIR had been registered, a PTI report said.
#ArrestKohli trended, with many X users questioning the cricketer’s “humanity” in leaving for London without meeting the victims’ families, and citing how actor Allu Arjun was arrested after a stampede at a Hyderabad theatre last December.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah, under the cosh over the stampede that killed 11 people during the Bengaluru franchise’s IPL victory celebrations at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, sacked his political secretary K. Govindaraju.
No reasons were cited but reports said it was Govindaraju who had suggested the RCB’s felicitation at the state legislature, which took place hours before the stadium stampede and has left Siddaramaiah and his government embarrassed. Govindaraju has denied his involvement.
While Karnataka High Court denied any relief to Nikhil Sosale, the arrested marketing head of the RCB, it gave three senior Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials protection against arrest till the next hearing on June 16.
The trio — the KSCA president, secretary and treasurer — had gone into hiding after Siddaramaiah on Thursday night ordered the immediate arrest of top officials of the IPL franchise, DNA and the cricket body. Police searches at their homes had yielded nothing.
Reports said Sosale and the three arrested DNA officials — Sunil Mathew (director and vice-president), Sumanth (ticketing official) and Kiran Kumar (manager) — were all trying to flee Bengaluru when they were arrested at the airport early on Friday morning.
Siddaramaiah transferred ADGP (intelligence) Hemant Nimbalkar, whose omission during Thursday’s suspension of senior police officers, including the Bengaluru police commissioner, had been questioned.
“Prima facie, those who have not fulfilled their responsibility properly have been suspended. It’s unfortunate that the BJP and JDS have been playing politics (over the stampede),” the chief minister told reporters on Friday.
Kohli targeted
Social media pulsated with anger at one of India’s greatest and most popular cricketers.
“Did Virat Kohli meet the family members of the fans who died? Couldn’t he have delayed his travel to London to meet the families of those loyal fans?” a woman user wrote on X.
“How can he be this inhuman? Or does he only show his humanity during Diwali for advertisements. Shame on RCB. #ArrestKohli.”
Another X user wrote: “You cried over a franchise league win, but where were those tears when fans died because of your selfish choice? Virat Kohli, you’ve lost every bit of respect from us. Leaving early for London cost loyal fans their lives and you don’t even seem to care. #ArrestKohli.”
Actor Allu Arjun was released on anticipatory bail after his arrest following the Hyderabad stampede, which killed a woman and left her young son grievously injured.
Sidda wields axe
An official notification said Govindraju was “hereby relieved from the post of political secretary to the Chief Minister with immediate effect”.
Govindaraju, who is also a Congress legislator, rubbished claims that he had advised Siddaramaiah to hold the Vidhana Soudha felicitations.
“My comments were misinterpreted. I never advised the chief minister on this issue. Who am I to advise the CM?” he said.
“Even though I head the Karnataka Olympic Association, I don’t have any say on the state’s cricket.”
Multiple sources confirmed to The Telegraph that a large majority of cabinet ministers had complained against Govindaraju for his alleged role in the felicitation programme at the Vidhana Soudha.
The subject produced heated exchanges at Thursday’s cabinet meeting, prompting Siddaramaiah to sack his political secretary.
In the high court, Salose’s lawyer challenged his arrest as unlawful, arbitrary and an infringement on his fundamental rights but could not sway the bench.
Friday’s arrests came immediately after Seemant Kumar Singh took charge as the new police commissioner, replacing the suspended B. Dayananda.
A fresh FIR had been registered against the RCB, DNA Entertainment and the KSCA on a complaint from a victim of the stampede, PTI reported.
Karnataka BJP general secretary P. Rajeev said he had filed a police complaint seeking legal action against Siddaramaiah, deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar and home minister G. Parameshwara for the stampede, the agency added.
“For this human loss, accused number one is Siddaramiah and accused number two is D.K. Shivakumar. Both of them had a motive to take political gain (from the RCB win),” Rajeev said.
“They misused power and because of them, deaths have happened…. Parameshwara… has no motive, but he was negligent and has failed as the home minister.”