Concerns about safety and sportsmanship arise following an altercation involving a fan dressed as a tiger.
A Bangladeshi fan, known as “Tiger Roby,” was hospitalized after reportedly being heckled and assaulted during the India-Bangladesh Test match in Kanpur on Friday, according to India’s PTI news agency.
Roby was wearing a tiger costume, the emblem of the Bangladesh cricket team, and was located in the C Block balcony of Green Park Stadium when the incident occurred.
A PTI video showed medical officials and security personnel carrying him out of the stadium, where he was later provided with water. However, police sources cited by PTI claimed that Roby was not assaulted but had suffered from dehydration. A follow-up report noted that he was hospitalized after becoming ill.
“He was gasping for breath when he encountered a constable. He lost consciousness before we could speak to him, but he is now fine,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chander.
Contradicting the police account, a journalist covering the match informed Geo News that Roby was manhandled but not beaten. “Tiger Roby was manhandled after provoking Indian fans by insulting some of their players.
They tried to snatch the Bangladesh flag from him, and he was lightly struck. It wasn’t a case of dehydration; he exaggerated the incident after receiving a slight hit,” the journalist reported.