RCB official Sosale gets interim bail in stampede case

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's senior official Nikhil Sosale, who was arrested over the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru during RCB's IPL title triumph celebrations on June 4, has been granted interim bail by the Karnataka high court on Friday.

More than a week after the incident, Sosale and two officials from DNA Networks -- the event management company associated with RCB, were released on specific conditions, the most notable of which was the surrender of their passports, said a report in ESPNCricinfo.

Sosale and all RCB officials, who are part of the management team, are likely to undergo an internal investigation by the parent company Diageo.

The Karnataka high court on Thursday had declared as 'illegal' the arrest of four representatives of Royal Challengers Sports Private Ltd. (RCSPL) and DNA Networks Pvt. Ltd and directed the immediate release of the arrested persons without any delay while granting them interim bail. RCSPL owns the RCB cricket team, while DNA is the event management firm for RCSPL.

The incident occurred when thousands of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite players. 11 people lost their

lives and several were injured in a stampede outside Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy stadium as a huge crowd of nearly three lakh people had gathered to witness the victory celebration of RCB.

The Karnataka Police had filed an FIR against the Karnataka State Cricket Assocation's Administrative Committee, RCB, among others, concerning the stampede incident. Last Saturday, two top Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials, secretary A Shankar and treasurer E S Jairam, resigned, citing 'moral responsibility'.

KSCA president Raghuram Bhat confirmed the development, saying that the resignations were discussed and accepted during an emergency meeting. He assured that the cricket body will cooperate with the investigation.

"When the inquiry takes place, we have already told the government and the High Court that we will never shy away from anything that is there. We are ready to cooperate with the investigation," Bhat told reporters.

The Bengaluru Police also filed the first information report (FIR) against RCB last week, stating that the franchise was not given permission to conduct the event at the stadium.

RCB has been listed as the first accused in the FIR, along with DNA Entertainment, the franchise's event partners, and the KSCA, which controls the stadium. RCB expressed 'heartfelt condolences' to the families of the deceased in a statement, and since then has resorted to silence over the matter.