#ArrestKohli? When Media Hysteria Trumped Human Grief

By all means, it was supposed to be a night carved in happiness.

After 18 long years of heartbreak, rebuilding, waiting, and undying fan support, Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally won their first ever IPL trophy. The victory wasn't just for the players — it was for millions who supported the team through years of ridicule and failure.

But the euphoria soon turned into sorrow when a post-match celebration went tragically wrong outside Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. In a heart-wrenching stampede following a rush of crowds and pandemonium over entry tickets, 11 lives were lost. Scores were left hurt. And all of a sudden, what had started as a shared moment of pride turned out to be a festering wound on the city's soul.

Amidst the anguish, a torrent of hashtags swept social media: #ArrestKohli, #ShameOnRCB. In a disappointing show of misplaced rage, a group of fans began finger-pointing Virat Kohli, blaming him and the franchise for the disaster. But while doing that, we lost sight of the actual problem — a systemic failure of planning, accountability, and above all, civic responsibility.

Virat Kohli: An Easy Target, A Misguided Blame

Let's pose the question no one is really asking: what did Virat Kohli do wrong?

Was he in charge of distributing tickets? No.

Was he dealing with crowd control? No.

Did he arrange for the event? No.

Kohli, like all other RCB players, was present to share the moment with supporters. He departed for London afterwards, sticking to his individual timings. To depict him as heartless or uncaring simply because he did not meet bereaved families — when he had no hand in the tragedy — is not only illogical, it's grossly unfair.

When did we become such a desperate nation in need of a scapegoat that we are willing to tarnish the reputation of a man who has dedicated his life to bringing pride to the nation?

Crowd Management or Crowd Madness?

The actual tragedy is what happened wrong on the ground. Police reports and eyewitnesses attest that the crowd overflowed many times over what was intended. Passes had been allegedly forged or oversold, barricades broken through, and elementary protocols flouted.

It's not merely a law-and-order failure. It is also a failure of civic discipline.

We wish to celebrate in splendor, yet do we obey laws? We wish to gather at public events in hordes, yet do we adhere to crowd management? We wish our sporting idols to serve us honorably, but do we personally own up to public security?

It's high time we turned the mirror upon ourselves and asked difficult questions regarding how exactly we citizens conduct ourselves at mass events.

Media's Role: TRP Over Truth

No less disturbing has been the media's contribution to the fire. Some TV anchors and social media influencers, in pursuit of eyeballs and virality, took the easy way out — substance sacrificed for sensation.

By making Kohli a punching bag, they not only fooled public opinion but also shifted focus away from where responsibility actually rests: the event hosts, the Karnataka State Cricket Association, and civic authorities responsible for crowd management.

Journalism's responsibility is to research, report, and shed light, not to incite and profit. Making tragedy prime-time drama, drowning out subtlety with hashtags, and stoking mob fury — this is not justice. It's opportunism.

A Fractured Nation: Fueling Division, Not Healing

In moments like these, a nation must grieve together. But instead, what we’ve seen is a public divided — not just in sorrow, but in blame. Some even weaponized religion and fandom, accusing RCB of caring only about profit and players of selective compassion.

Let's be plain: the blood of the dead is not on the hands of Virat Kohli or RCB. It is on the hands of a system that let them down — one that didn't control the crowd, didn't foresee turnout, and didn't lock down the venue.

To employ this heartache to undermine the dignity of people who played no role in the administrative failures is not only unfair — it's risky.

Where Real Accountability Lies

Six individuals have been arrested till now, including RCB management members, an event management company, and ticketing personnel. Investigations are still going on. That is the correct move — to pinpoint the owners of the negligence and make sure that never again will such a tragedy occur.".

While Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's explanation — that "no one anticipated such a large crowd" — is leadership-deficient, to say the least. To expect the public to police itself in the face of inadequate safeguards is not a defence — it's a confession of failure.

The Trophy and the Tragedy

Let us lament the deaths that occurred. Let us call for accountability. But let us not allow grief turn into a platform for unfounded hate.

Virat Kohli didn't commit this tragedy. He has given India all he has -- his sweat, his tears, his enthusiasm. He is no villain. He is a sportsperson who was a member of a moment of triumph and has now been unjustly vilified for something that happened beyond his means.

The RCB trophy can perhaps be soaked in tears — but not tears of guilt. They are tears of a nation that still has much to learn about celebrating in moderation, grieving in dignity, and seeking justice from the appropriate quarters.

And perhaps, for once, refrain from seeking someone to crucify when things go wrong.

ALSO READ: A Tale of 18 Years: RCB, the IPL Trophy, and a Boy Who Believed