'Arrest Kohli' Hashtag Trends On 'X' After Bengaluru Stampede Tragedy, Here's Why
Bengaluru Stampede: Angered IPL fans are now demanding for Virat Kohli's arrest using a viral hashtag on 'X'.
#ArrestKohli and #ShameOnRCB hashtags have been trending on the social media platform 'X' for the past 24 hours. The campaign run by a section of angered IPL fans is demanding the arrest of former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli while shunning the franchise. This comes days after RCB lifted their maiden IPL trophy after an excruciating wait of 18 years. The following day, sharing the triumph with their loyal fanbase, the RCB team headed to the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Then, disaster struck. As a sea of fans began swelling in and around the stadium, the sheer volume, and confusion over tickets turned the dangerous situation into fatal for 11 souls that perished near the stadium. With many more injured during the stampede, the celebrations were cut short for fans who waited for years to witness their beloved franchise win.
Then came the countrywide outrage. Who is responsible for this? The team? The players? The franchise? The organizers? The cricket board? The police? The government? The lapses in crowd control, coordination, and accountability became a hotly-discussed topic on social media. And the blame game began.
#ArrestKohli
When it was learned that the Bengaluru Police was not in favour of facilitating RCB at the Vidhana Soudha, the communication between the Siddaramaiah government and the Karnataka State Cricket Association accessed by CNN-News18 revealed, the protesting fans doubled down on their anger.
'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? How can he be this inhuman? Or does he only show his humanity during Diwali for advertisements?
SHAME ON RCB #ArrestKohli, (sic)" wrote one user on 'X'.
'He cried when he won a franchise league title. But where were his tears when his fan d!ed? Virat Kohli, you have lost all the respect from our hearts. Just bcz of his decision to leave early for London cost loyal fans their lives💔 SHAME ON RCB #ArrestKohli (sic)."
'I am a Kohli fan, but i demand BAN RCB and #ArrestKohli. Does Cricket Twitter support me? (sic)"
'They demanded parades, and the streets turned red — not with celebration, but with blood. People died. And Kohli? Off to London like nothing happened. This isn't a win. It's a stain. A trophy soaked in tragedy," another added.
Some others used the hashtag in support of Kohli and wondered why the cricketers were facing the brickbats over the tragedy.
'They chanted his name when he scored centuries. Now they blame him for crowd mismanagement? Be real. Virat Kohli left AFTER the event was done. Stop this hate drama. SHAME ON RCB? Really? 🙄 #ArrestKohli — for what? Breathing?"
Arrests
Two days after the horrific stampede, the police arrested six people in connection to the case including Nikhil Sosale of RCB management and Sunil Mathew of the event management company DNA.
In addition to this, two employees of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), working at the ticket counter, have been taken into custody for further questioning in connection to the stampede.
Deaths
The deceased were identified as Bhoomik (20), Sahana (19), Poornachand (32), Chinmayi (19), Divyanshi (13), Shravan (20), Devi (29), Shivaling (17), Manoj Kumar (33) and Akshata. One person, aged about 20 years was yet to be identified.
What Did Karnataka CM Say?
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: 'no one expected such a huge crowd". Blaming the Karnataka Cricket Association which had organised the event, the CM added: 'We did not organise the event, the cricket association did. Our duty was to provide security. The crowd turnout should have been equal to the number of passes given. What can we do if more people come? Let's see what the investigation finds, whether (lapses by) association or police," he said.
Siddaramaiah announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of each deceased.
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First Published:
June 06, 2025, 14:54 IST
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