Bangladesh ‘Super Fan’ Hospitalised During 2nd Test; Was He Beaten Up At Kanpur Stadium?

Kanpur: A ‘super fan’ of the Bangladeshi cricket team was allegedly beaten by some Indian supporters on the rain-hit opening day of the second Test at Greek Park Stadium here on Friday.

‘Tiger Roby’, as he is popularly called, had to be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Dressed in a tiger costume, his face painted in stripes of the big cat, Tiger Roby is seen at every venue where Bangladesh play, waving the national flag and cheering the team – a la Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary who turns up at every Team India match painted in the country’s Tricolour.

On Friday, too, Tiger Roby was in Stand C at Green Park Stadium. Once play started after a delayed start due to a wet outfield, he was suddenly in distress. Police and medics rushed to the scene and provided him first aid before arranging for an ambulance to transport him to a hospital.

An Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) official said Roby could not communicate the sequence of events as he was in pain.

PTI posted video on X where Roby indicates that he was punched in his abdomen by unknown person/s.

It isn’t yet clear if there was an altercation between Roby and local fans, or what led to the clash.

Police, however, claimed that he had not been assaulted.

“During the match, the health of one person named Tiger Roby suddenly deteriorated.. with the help of the medical team, he was sent to the hospital. Now he is fine and a liaison officer has been deputed so that if he faces any problem, he can be provided immediate help. No incident of assault took place,” said ACP Kalyanpur Abhishek Pandey.

A UPCA official said Roby was wincing in pain and seemed to be fainting when he came out of the stadium. He was given a chair to sit but fell down, the official claimed.

There was no immediate comment from the touring Bangladesh team or its cricket board.

But the last may not have been heard of the incident.