A Bangladeshi cricket fan on Friday alleged that he was assaulted by a mob of about 15 persons during a match between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, The Indian Express reported.
The police, however, denied his claims and said that the fan, who goes by the name “Tiger” Robi, was taken to the hospital after he collapsed at the stadium due to dehydration.
Robi, dressed in a tiger’s costume, was watching the match from the Block C balcony of the stadium, PTI reported. He told The Indian Express that the incident took place just before the lunch break.
“A section of the crowd has been abusing me since the morning,” he alleged. “Once lunch was called, I just started shouting the names of Najmul Shanto and Mominul Haque.” Both Shanto and Haque are cricketers for Bangladesh.
Following this, a few persons started shoving him around, Robi said. “[The persons] tried to tear my mascot [Tiger] and my flag, and when I resisted they started hitting me,” he added, according to The Indian Express.
Subsequently, Robi was carried out of the stadium by the police and taken to a hospital.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chander told PTI that Robi suffered from dehydration. “The Bangladeshi fan was gasping for breath when he met a constable and went unconscious before he could speak to him,” he said. “But now he is fine.”
The speculation about the assault was “completely wrong”, Abhishek Pandey, assistant commissioner of police, told The Indian Express. “He was not hit by any fan,” he added.
Security at the stadium was increased ahead of Friday’s match after Hindutva groups threatened to protest during the game in view of the reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, The Indian Express reported.
“The police are alert about the situation in Bangladesh,” Chander had said, according to The Indian Express. “Tight security arrangements have been made for the match. We are taking inputs from the intelligence agencies. If anyone tries to protest, action will be taken accordingly.”
There were reports of violence against Hindus and other religious minorities amid the political crisis in Bangladesh after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and landed in India on August 5.
The Awami League leader fled the country after the student-led protests against a controversial quota scheme for government jobs, which started in July, snowballed into a broader agitation against her government.
Muhammad Yunus took over as the chief advisor to the interim government in Dhaka on August 8.
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