Ind vs Ban, 2nd Test - Bangladesh fan alleges assault at Green Park, changes version after being hospitalised

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A Bangladeshi fan at the centre of an alleged altercation at Kanpur’s Green Park on Friday ended up in a hospital. Robi, the Bangladeshi superfan, initially said he had been at the receiving end of some violence from other fans but retracted that claim from hospital later, saying he had been feeling unwell after suffering from dehydration in the Kanpur heat. Local police also said Robi had been taken away from the ground during the opening day’s play of the India vs Bangladesh Test because he was feeling unwell.

It was during the lunch break that Robi, with the tiger stripes painted on his face, appeared to stumble out of a gate and appear near the gate for the media personnel. Security officials and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) officials got him a chair, offered him water, and soon arranged for an ambulance to take him to a medical facility. Videos recorded at the time by ESPNcricinfo showed Robi in discomfort, and while his words were unclear, he indicated that he had been punched from behind in his lower back, and had been elbowed in the ribs. He appeared out of breath and struggling.

Prior to this, before the interval, Robi had been spotted in Stand C at Green Park. He was the only fan – of either team – there, waving the national flag. Incidentally, parts of that stand had been deemed unfit for spectators prior to the Test, and Rabi was in one of the barred areas. A few eyewitnesses ESPNcricinfo spoke to said that Robi had an argument with some Indian fans, after which there was some pushing and shoving, and his flag was snatched from him and thrown away. UPCA officials were unresponsive when ESPNcricinfo asked how and why Robi was able to get to that specific part of the stand.

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.”

Assistant police commissioner of Kalyanpur, Abhishek Pandey, said in his statement that Robi’s health had “deteriorated suddenly” and “reports of an altercation are baseless; he hurt himself when he fell”. “A liaison officer has been attached to him [Robi] so that he gets assistance whenever he requires it,” Pandey added. Police sources also said that Robi had undergone a number of tests and scans, and he has been found to be fit. At the time of filing this report, Robi was still in the hospital.

All of this came even as protests against Bangladesh playing a Test match in Kanpur continued. Like on the eve of the match, activists connected to some right-wing political parties conducted protests barely a kilometre from the stadium on Friday. The protests are a response to reports that there have been attacks against members of the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh over the past month-and-a-half. It has been a period of tumult in Bangladesh, since July, when student-led protests led to the end of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.

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.

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