Cricket Match Turns Fatal: Umpire Stabbed To Death Over Run-Out Call In Andhra Pradesh - Report

In a shocking incident from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, as reported by police, a 21-year-old cricket umpire was stabbed to death over a run-out call in a local match.

It all happened on a Sunday evening, when three teams were playing in a cricket match in the local ground. The victim, Dola Ajith Babu, was the umpire in the match along with his friend Budumuri Chiranjeevi. Suddenly, a dispute took place in the match between players from two localities over a run-out decision.

"Ajith Babu and Chiranjeevi intervened and settled the issue on the field. However, one of the spectators, Kanta Kishore, became angry and started abusing the umpires and players," Circle Inspector Malleswara Rao said.

Once the match got over, the accused, Kanta Kishore, called the umpires to end the dispute and Ajith Babu, Chiranjeevi and some of their friends went to the spot upon his request.

"As soon as they reached the spot, another argument broke out. Kishore suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked the two umpires," Rao said.

The victim suffered knife blows in the immediately collapsed on the ground, while Chiranjeevi also sustained major cuts that led to bleeding. There was another man, who was trying to de-escalate the situation also got injured in the serious altercation.

The injured people were then taken to the people, while Ajith was shifted to Apollo for further treatment, where the doctors declared him dead during the treatment.

The victim's brother, who died, said that all this happened due to an argument during a local cricket match, where a resident of a neighbouring colony, who wasn't even playing the match, got involved in the dispute, hurled abuse at the players and the umpires, and later attacked, coming back under the influence of alcohol.

Victim's father, Dola Appala Raju, has now filed a complaint with the police, who have registered a murder case against Kanta Kishor under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and have started search operations to nab him.

Victim's Brother Opens Up On The Incident

The victim's brother gave chilling details about the incident. He said that a controversy over a decision turned into a heated argument, which was at that time settled by the village elders.

However, in the evening, the accused, who wasn't even playing called them for a settlement and when the argument broke out again, he attacked the umpires and their friend with a knife, which led to the death of Ajith Babu.

"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" the victim's brother told NDTV.

"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 8.15 pm, doctors declared him dead," he added.