A Bengaluru man was killed inside a referee’s room at the Bangalore Football Stadium on September 12 by a gang of armed assailants. The deceased, identified as Aravind alias Lee, aged 26, is a resident of New Bagalur Layout, reported The New Indian Express. The report stated that Aravind was part of a local football team and was playing a tournament at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ground opposite the Karnataka State Football Association’s stadium where he arrived to take shelter. A report in the Deccan Herald stated that Aravind died on the spot after he was attacked.
Reportedly, a match for KSFA’s Sporting Planet Trophy Prospective Women’s ‘A’ Division league was scheduled to commence at 4 pm when the incident occurred. The match was postponed a few days after the incident as the incident triggered tension among a few spectators who had come to watch the match. A case of murder has been booked in the jurisdictional police station, stated reports.
The police said that Aravind ran into the BFS from the BBMP football ground to escape the murder and hid in the stands. Later, he jumped into a referee’s room nearby in an attempt to save himself. However, the assailants broke the lock, entered the room and hacked him to death, reported The Hindu. The report stated that the police have formed two special teams to arrest the assailants and obtained CCTV footage and are questioning witnesses to identify the assailants.
The TNIE report stated that Aravind was a rowdy sheeter and has 13 cases, including two charges of attempt to murder, registered against him at various police stations. He was detained by the Bharathi Nagar police under the Goonda Act in May and was released two months ago, stated the report. The report stated that the police suspect the role of an old rival in his killing.
Meanwhile, KSFA Secretary Satyanarayan was quoted by The Hindu saying that Aravind was not associated with the Federation and that the two clubs that were scheduled to play witnessed the deceased being chased. He also said that the women were safely escorted.