A Bangladeshi fan attending the India-Bangladesh Test match in Kanpur on Friday was rushed to the hospital after allegedly being heckled and assaulted inside the stadium, reported India’s PTI news agency.
The fan, known as “Tiger Roby,” was dressed in a tiger costume – the emblem of the Bangladesh cricket team – and was standing in the C Block balcony of Green Park Stadium, where the incident took place.
A clip on PTI Videos showed the fan being carried out of the stadium by medical officials and security personnel. He was later seated on a chair and given water.
In another account, PTI, quoting police, reported that the fan was not assaulted but suffered from dehydration.
A follow-up report by PTI claimed that Roby was hospitalised after falling ill.
“He was gasping for breath when he met a constable. He became unconscious before we could speak to him, but now he is fine,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chander was quoted as saying in the PTI report.
However, a journalist covering the game told Geo News that the fan was manhandled, though not beaten or assaulted.
“Tiger Roby was manhandled after he angered Indian fans by insulting some of their players. They tried to snatch the Bangladesh flag from him, and he was slightly hit. He wasn’t beaten, nor was it a case of dehydration. He did get hit slightly, but then he overdramatised the incident,” the journalist told this correspondent.
