We deplore Sudhir incident

The news of Sudhir Gautam, one of the most visible Indian cricket fans on television, being attacked by a mob outside the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium after the second ODI, spread like wildfire yesterday.

Speaking to an Indian television channel yesterday morning, Sudhir said that he was mobbed outside the stadium as soon as the second ODI got over.

“As soon as I left the stadium, people mobbed me and started snatching my flag. Two policemen who were outside the stadium came to my rescue and escorted me to an auto-rickshaw. But the mob hurled stones on the vehicle,” said Sudhir, while speaking to an Indian television channel.

Member of BCB's security team, Mohammad Ali, who was present at the stadium throughout the day, however, said that he had heard of the matter but his security personal employed inside the stadium had not witnessed any such incident.

“I am in charge of handling any such issue that takes place within the boundary of the stadium and I therefore can't really tell as to what happened outside the stadium,” Ali said.

Officials from the Mirpur police station told The Daily Star that they hadn't received any such complaints. “Since the issue has been brought up, we will put up more cautionary measures in the third and final ODI,” said an official from the Mirpur police station.

According to a BCB official who had dug into the issue, a crowd--chanting 'mauka, mauka'-- did gather when Sudhir was leaving the stadium. But he didn't report any instances of physical assault or the hurling of stones.

A photojournalist, who had managed to take a few snaps of the incident, had a similar story to narrate. The journalist though did add that after Sudhir was escorted into a CNG-driven auto, the vehicle was chased for a few seconds. A clear-cut picture of the incident was yet to be deciphered yesterday.

However, all things kept aside, if what Sudhir alleged is true then the series of events that took place were extremely unfortunate and should be condemned. The incident does not represent the values that the majority of Bangladesh's cricket fans stand for.

Bangladesh's fans are deemed to be one of the most enthusiastic in the world. In fact, Dhaka is one of the few venues in the world that has hosted some of the most enticing India-Pakistan encounters, with fans from both sides flocking into the stadiums and enjoying the game together. 

Except for a minor stone-pelting issue during the World Cup in 2011, Bangladesh's cricketing scenario has never witnessed issues such as these.

With the series having already found a place in history, one would hope that such deplorable incidents, that will only tarnish the image of Bangladesh as a sporting host, should be dealt with iron hands.