Bangladesh superfan retracts assault claim at Kanpur Test, cites dehydration

Robi, the ardent Bangladeshi cricket fan, first reported being assaulted at Green Park, but following hospitalisation, published his discomfort used to be attributable to dehydration, no longer an altercation.

TBS Document

27 September, 2024, 10:00 pm

Final modified: 27 September, 2024, 10:32 pm

Bangladesh superfan retracts assault recount at Kanpur Take a look at, cites dehydration

A Bangladeshi cricket fan chanced on himself at the centre of a controversy at Kanpur’s Green Park on 27 september, after at first alleging that he had been assaulted by native spectators one day of the opening day of the India vs Bangladesh Take a look at.

The fan, Robi, later said from a sanatorium that his earlier recount stemmed from dehydration and no longer an altercation.

Robi, a notable supporter of the Bangladesh cricket workforce, used to be at first taken to sanatorium after reporting discomfort one day of the lunch destroy. With his face painted in tiger stripes, he used to be viewed stumbling shut to the media gate, visibly struggling. Security and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Affiliation (UPCA) officers provided him water and provided a chair earlier than arranging for an ambulance to cross him to a interior sight medical facility.

In movies captured at the scene, Robi appeared breathless and indicated that he had been struck from leisurely, claiming he used to be punched within the lower again and elbowed within the ribs. Ahead of being led away, he used to be viewed in Stand C, waving the Bangladeshi flag. Alternatively, this instance of the stadium had beforehand been declared unfit for spectators, raising questions about how Robi gained score admission to. Eyewitnesses reported seeing him enraged about a confrontation with some Indian fans, after which his flag used to be snatched and thrown away.

No matter the initial claims of assault, Robi later changed his tale whereas in sanatorium. Speaking to journalists, he said, “I used to be feeling ill. The police introduced me to the sanatorium, and I am feeling higher after receiving medicine.” The native police also denied any reviews of an altercation. Assistant police commissioner of Kalyanpur, Abhishek Pandey, said, “Robi’s health deteriorated right away. Experiences of an altercation are baseless; he disaster himself when he fell.” Pandey also confirmed that Robi underwent several medical tests and used to be chanced on to be in true health.

As of the time of this file, Robi has remained in a sanatorium, however the police salvage assigned a liaison officer to abet him as wished.

The incident took place amid ongoing protests against Bangladesh’s participation within the Take a look at series at Kanpur. Appropriate-flit political activists, reacting to reviews of assaults on the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh over the previous month, held demonstrations moral a kilometre from the stadium. Tensions had been excessive in Bangladesh for the reason that fall of the Sheikh Hasina executive in July, following scholar-led protests.

Beforehand, Shoaib Ali Bukhari, but every other prominent Bangladeshi superfan, used to be allegedly manhandled one day of an ODI World Cup match against India in Pune remaining yr.