Bangladesh fan makes U-turn after claims of assault on the first day of the second Test match here at Kanpur.
Bangladesh fan Robi has taken a complete 360-turn after initially claiming he was assaulted outside the stadium. He now claims that he was unwell due to dehydration.
Additionally, according to local authorities, Robi was pulled off the pitch during the first day of play in the India vs. Bangladesh Test match because he wasn’t feeling well.
Robi, who had tiger stripes painted on his face, gave the impression that he was stumbling out of a gate and approaching it to greet the journalists over lunch. He was given a chair and water by security personnel and (UPCA) representatives. They quickly made arrangements for an ambulance to transport him to a hospital.
Videos revealed Robi to be uncomfortable. He indicated that he had been elbowed in the ribs and had been punched in the lower back from behind. Though what his exact words were, it was not clear. He seemed like he was having trouble breathing.
At the hospital later, Robi told mediapersons, “I was feeling unwell. The police brought me to the hospital, and I am feeling better after being treated.”
All of this occurred along with ongoing demonstrations over Bangladesh’s holding a Test match in Kanpur. On Friday, demonstrators affiliated with certain right-wing political parties held events at a short distance from the stadium. The demonstrations are in response to information that attacks had reportedly been made against members of Bangladesh’s minority Hindu population. Since Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government was overthrown in July, Bangladesh has been in a state of turmoil.
Incidentally, Shoaib Ali Bukhari, the celebrated Bangladesh fan who travels around the world with the team, was allegedly manhandled during an ODI World Cup match against India in Pune last year.