A Bangladeshi fan attending the India-Bangladesh Cricket Test match on Friday was rushed to hospital after he was apparently heckled and assaulted inside the stadium. The fan, popular as ‘Tiger Robi’, was dressed in a tiger’s get-up (tiger being the emblem of Bangladesh cricket team) and standing in the C Block balcony of the Green Park stadium where the incident took place.

The fan through gestures indicated he was punched on his lower back, according to a video clip shared on social media. The Kanpur Police, however, categorically denied the charge, and said his version would be cross-checked through the CCTV footage.

The Bangladeshi fan suffered from dehydration and was taken to hospital and now he was fine, said Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chander. “Bangladeshi fan was gasping for breath when he met a constable and went unconscious before he could speak to him, but now he is fine,” the officer added. Other details related to the incident were yet to be ascertained.

 The incident comes amid a protest by right-wing groups near Green Park with the demonstrators demanding that the Test Match be cancelled. Police said they have beefed up security in the area in view of the international match.

Activists from several right-wing groups held a protest on Friday at the Sadhbhavna Chauraha, about 1,500 metres from the Green Park stadium where India is taking on Bangladesh in a test match. They also recited the Hanuman Chalisa and demanded that the match, which began on Friday, be cancelled, police said.

Upon receiving information about the protest led by right-wing groups, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, police officials quickly mobilised, they said. A heavy police presence, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankita Sharma, was dispatched to the site to prevent the demonstrators from advancing towards the stadium.