IND vs BAN: Bangladesh fan assaulted at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur

Hyderabad: Fan rivalry between India and Bangladesh stooped to another new low when Bangladesh super fan, popularly known as Tiger Roby for his tiger costume, was assaulted during the India vs Bangladesh second Test at Green Park in Kanpur on Friday.

Roby was shifted to a nearby hospital by the police after he was in immense pain and was almost fainting.

While the official version given by the police was that Roby was dehydrated and hence he fainted, there are many reports of him being assaulted and abused in one of the stands.

Roby was near the C Block unable to breathe and not able to speak as well. He was given a chair to sit by the police but he couldn’t sit and fell down.

A video on social media shows Roby in pain and being carried away to a medical facility. As he was being carried away, he gestured that he was assaulted.

The fan rivalry between India and Bangladesh isn’t new. During the 2023 ODI World Cup match in Pune, Indian fans targeted another well-known Bangladesh supporter, Shoaib Ali Bukhari, popularly known as ‘Tiger Shoaib’. Shoaib carries a tiger mascot to all Bangladesh games and his mascot was torn apart by Indian fans.

The India vs Bangladesh second Test in Kanpur has been in the headlines for protests and violence. There were reports by religious groups that the Green Park Stadium would become an epicentre of protests during the match, citing ‘atrocities’ on Hindus in Bangladesh.

The local police, the BCCI security system are working in tandem to ensure that there are no protests at the stadium and the match will take place as per the schedule.