diff --git a/kernel/rcuclassic.c b/kernel/rcuclassic.c
index f4ffbd0..a38895a 100644
--- a/kernel/rcuclassic.c
+++ b/kernel/rcuclassic.c
@@ -89,8 +89,22 @@
 		/*
 		 * Don't send IPI to itself. With irqs disabled,
 		 * rdp->cpu is the current cpu.
+		 *
+		 * cpu_online_map is updated by the _cpu_down()
+		 * using stop_machine_run(). Since we're in irqs disabled
+		 * section, stop_machine_run() is not exectuting, hence
+		 * the cpu_online_map is stable.
+		 *
+		 * However,  a cpu might have been offlined _just_ before
+		 * we disabled irqs while entering here.
+		 * And rcu subsystem might not yet have handled the CPU_DEAD
+		 * notification, leading to the offlined cpu's bit
+		 * being set in the rcp->cpumask.
+		 *
+		 * Hence cpumask = (rcp->cpumask & cpu_online_map) to prevent
+		 * sending smp_reschedule() to an offlined CPU.
 		 */
-		cpumask = rcp->cpumask;
+		cpus_and(cpumask, rcp->cpumask, cpu_online_map);
 		cpu_clear(rdp->cpu, cpumask);
 		for_each_cpu_mask(cpu, cpumask)
 			smp_send_reschedule(cpu);