Man killed in fight during cricket match in Greater Noida

On Monday, the victim had left home for some work and later he reached the cricket ground in Surajpur to consume alcohol

A 32-year-old man who was allegedly assaulted by three men on Monday afternoon was found dead in an abandoned room in Surajpur area of Greater Noida on Tuesday morning, said police.

As Sharma was in an inebriated condition, the victim could not reach home and instead ended up at an abandoned room near the ground. (Representational image)

“On Tuesday around 11am, we received information that a blood-soaked body of a man was spotted at an abandoned room close to a swimming pool near a cricket ground in the Surajpur,’ said Shakti Mohan Avasthy, deputy commissioner of police, central Noida.

On receiving the information, a police team rushed to the spot and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. “The man sustained head injuries. During the investigation, he was identified as Manish Kumar Sharma, a resident of Kasba area in Surajpur,” said Avasthy.

Police said when his family members were contacted, it was revealed that on Monday, Sharma left home for some work and later he reached the cricket ground in Surajpur to consume alcohol. “It came to fore that Sharma was consuming alcohol in an isolated area of ground while a group of men played cricket nearby. A ball struck Sharma and when a player approached him to pick up the ball, SHarma got angry started abusing him,” said BS Vir Kumar, assistant commissioner of police, central Noida.

The ACP said, “When other players heard the arguments, they rushed to the spot and a fist fight ensued. During the fight when one of three suspects forcefully pushed Sharma, he lost his balance and his head hit a hard object.”

Later, all the suspects left the ground, believing that Sharma would return home after some time. “As Sharma was in an inebriated condition, he could not reach home and instead ended up at an abandoned room near the ground. Later, he succumbed to his head injuries,” said an officer who is part of the investigation, asking not to be named.

The officer said, “The suspects also sustained minor injuries. Believing that Sharma is on the run for assaulting them, they were at home when police reached there to arrest them.”

The suspects have been identified by their single names as Anuj and Shivam, who reside close to their homes in Surajpur. Efforts are underway to identify the third suspect, said ACP Kumar, adding that a case under Section 103 (murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Surajpur police station, and further investigation is underway.