Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is facing intense criticism online after visuals of him at the Mumbai airport with wife Anushka Sharma surfaced on Thursday — just a day after the tragic stampede at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 people and injured over 50. Social media users were quick to express their anger, suggesting that Virat’s departure so soon after the incident was insensitive, and #arrestKohli became one of the top trends on X (formerly Twitter).
Many online users hinted that the victory celebrations were held on Wednesday to accommodate Virat’s travel plans, who was scheduled to leave for London on Thursday. This added to the growing outrage against the cricketer, with people pointing out that apart from a social media post, he had done little in response to the tragedy.
{{/usCountry}}Many online users hinted that the victory celebrations were held on Wednesday to accommodate Virat’s travel plans, who was scheduled to leave for London on Thursday. This added to the growing outrage against the cricketer, with people pointing out that apart from a social media post, he had done little in response to the tragedy.
{{/usCountry}}On Instagram, Virat had written, “Deeply saddened to hear about the incident. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the victims.” However, users online were disappointed that there was no further engagement from his side, especially given the severity of the situation.
Meanwhile, the police have begun taking action against those involved in organizing the RCB celebrations. Nikhil Sosale, marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), was taken into custody at the Bengaluru airport while attempting to fly to Mumbai. Police have also detained three staff members of DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd., the event management company responsible for the event.
This follows Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s directive to arrest key representatives from the RCB team, DNA Entertainment, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), after an FIR was filed against them under multiple charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The state government also suspended Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda and several other senior officials, stating that despite being informed of the event in advance, the Commissioner’s office failed to issue a written denial or prepare for managing a large crowd.
On Thursday, RCB released a statement expressing that players, staff, and management were “deeply anguished.” As part of their response, they announced ₹10 lakh in financial aid to each of the 11 victims' families and the creation of an ‘RCB Cares’ fund to support the 33 injured fans.
Despite this, much of the online anger continues to be directed at Kohli, with users calling out the timing of his departure and his perceived lack of involvement following the tragedy.