A young Indian umpire named Dola Ajith Babu was horrifically murdered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh during a local tournament in India. According to the report published by sun.co.uk, a heated argument over a run-out call during a local cricket tournament culminated in Dola Ajith Babu’s murder as he was stabbed, according to the police. The unforgiving incident took place on Sunday night.
What exactly happened that led to the killing of the young Indian umpire?
The 21-year-old was reportedly officiating the match along with his friend Budumuri Chiranjeevi when the argument over a run-out call between players triggered. Although the umpires managed to dial down the tension, a spectator named Kanta Kishore, aged 26, reignited the fight. After the match, the Kishore reportedly urged the umpires to ‘settle the matter.’ Another ugly fight perpetrated when Ajith Babu, Chiranjeevi and other arrived at the field. It was reportedly then that Kishore pulled out a knife and stabbed Ajith Babu with it on his chest.
The report of The Sunc claimed that Ajith Babu collapsed instantly as Chiranjeevi tried hard to prevent the attack but couldn’t. Ajith Babu issued a statement revealing that they first took him to VIMS Hospital, where no doctor was available, forcing them to shift him to Apollo. Nevertheless, he was pronounced dead despite emergency treatment.
“He started shouting and arguing. Suddenly, he took the knife out of his pocket and stabbed Dola Ajith in the chest. We tried to catch Kishore, but he ran away. We took Ajith Babu to VIMS Hospital, but no doctors were available, so we shifted him to Apollo. Around 8.15pm, doctors declared him dead,” said Ajith Babu’s brother, as quoted by sun.co.uk.
In a separate statement to NDTV, the victim’s brother told:
“In the match, there was an argument over one run. The argument became heated, and the person who attempted the murder was not a cricket player. He is a resident of Vinayak Nagar. He came in between the argument and used abusive words, which led to a serious argument between both teams. Later, village elders came and settled the issue there itself. After everything, in the evening, they were under the influence of alcohol and planned this attack. He carried a knife in his pocket and came to the Padigadli junction and called Chiranjeevi.”
What did the Police Inspector say about the Visakhapatnam incident?
Circle Inspector Malleswara Rao issued the below statement, as quoted by The Sun.co.uk:
“Ajith Babu and Chiranjeevi intervened and settled the issue on the field. However, one of the spectators, Kishore, became angry and started abusing the umpires and players. As soon as they reached the spot, another argument broke out. Kishore suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked the two umpires.”
Following Ajith Babu’s father Dola Appala Raju’s complaint, the police personnel has lodged a murder case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Nevertheless, Kishore has reportedly fled the area and remains absconding but the police is continuing its search. It’s worth noting that the local cricketing tournaments often attract big crowds but disputes also escalate rather quickly. After the umpire incident, the authorities may well need to tighten the security and prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
