‘Real criminals are…’: Netizens clash as #ArrestKohli trends on X after outrage over Bengaluru stampede

'#ArrestKohli' has been trending on the social media platform X following the stampede at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives on June 4. The tragic incident happened during revelry to mark Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) victory in IPL 2025. However, some other netizens lashed out at Karnataka government officials and organisers, calling them “the real criminals”.

“***pid people trending #ArrestKohli. While the real criminals are organisers and government officials. And of course such fans who are climbing over others,” one user posted on X, along with a clip showing massive crowds who gathered outside the stadium to catch a glimpse of Virat Kohli and the IPL trophy — the team's first in 18 years.

#ArrestKohli trends on X

After the stampede, cricket icon Virat Kohli—who was unarguably the most adored on Tuesday night, and for whom cricketer Suresh Raina had earlier demanded the Bharat Ratna—was someone who the social media wanted behind bars.

Angry netizens took to X to express their outrage, demanding Virat Kohli's arrest, adding to the hashtag's trend, with the social media platform clocking over 45,000 posts.

Netizens blame management failure

While some netizens argued that the Bengaluru stampede was due to the management's failure, other users were not convinced and demanded the cricket icon's arrest.

“#ArrestKohli? For what — showing up and leaving after the event? He didn’t organize the crowd. Blame the system, not the players. We stand with you, King,” wrote one user.

Meanwhile, other fans were quick to refer to Pushpa 2 star Allu Arjun's arrest, who was nabbed by the police in December last year—after a stampede at Hyderabad's Sandhya Theatre—that killed a woman and severely injured her child.

Nikhil Sosale, others taken into custody

Netizens' demand for Virat Kohli's arrest comes hours after RCB officials were taken into custody.

Earlier in the day, the head of marketing and revenue of the IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Nikhil Sosale, was among the officials taken into custody by police in connection with the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, police sources said on Friday.

In addition to Nikhil Sosale, Sunil Mathew and Kiran Kumar from DNA Entertainment are among those being questioned, sources told news agency PTI.

Siddaramaiah's political secretary suspended; intelligence chief transferred

Not just Virat Kohli and RCB officials, but several government officials, including Karnataka CM's political secretary and others bore the brunt of the stampede that shocked the nation.

K Govindaraj was relieved from the post of political secretary to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with immediate effect, said a state government notification.

Apart from this, Hemanth Nimbalkar, Karnataka’s Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), was also transferred without a new posting amid outrage over the  stampede.

What caused Bengaluru stampede?

Confusion over the victory parade, free passes, overcrowding and limited seats at M Chinnaswamy Stadium are said to be the major reasons for the deadly stampede.

According to police sources cited by PTI, what started as confusion soon spiralled into a stampede when a large number of cricket fans—many without entry tickets—attempted to force their way into the stadium alongside those with valid passes.

The chaos was further fuelled by conflicting announcements. At 11:56 am on Wednesday, the Bengaluru Traffic Police stated there would be no victory parade, only a felicitation ceremony at the stadium. But at 3:14 pm, the RCB team’s management declared that a victory parade would take place at 5 pm. This left fans in a frenzy, unsure of what to expect.