Umpire Dies on field - (Source: X.com)
On Wednesday, February 18, a tragic incident took place in Kanpur where an umpire lost his life after a freak bee attack. The 65-year-old official was officiating in an Under-13 match at the Sapru Maidan in Shuklaganj, in a game organised by the Kanpur Association, when a swarm of bees entered the field.
The deceased, named Manik Gupta, from Kanpur, was attacked by bees alongside the players present on the ground. The umpire lost his life while the players sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital because of bee stings.
Notably, the injured players and officials were rushed to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur, where the doctors declared Manik Gupta dead.
Kanpur Cricket Association Griefs Umpire’s Death
Kanpur Cricket Association also griefed Gupta's death, who has a long career in officiating in local tournaments and domestic games. SN Singh, president of Kanpur Cricket Association, spoke to the press, where he expressed his displeasure over the incident.
“When Gupta was being rushed to the hospital, bees were still clinging to his face and body,” remarked S N Singh, president of the Kanpur Cricket Association.
Notably, another umpire, Jagdish Sharma, was also in a critical stage, but is now out of danger. Meanwhile, the 15-20 players are also out of danger and will soon return to the field.
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Bee Attack Not A New Issue in Cricket
Bee attacks are not a new issue in cricket, as on several occasions, play has been halted because of such freak incidents.
Notably, In 2025 TNPL match between Chepauk Super Gillies and Siechem Madurai Panthers at the NPR College Ground in Dindigul, the game faced a brief halt due to an unexpected bee attack. In a rare event, a group of flies entered the stadium and disturbed the flow of the match, which even required the players to go off the field.
Bees hovered over the stadium and stung NS Chaturvedi, who lay on the ground in pain. The physio quickly rushed onto the field. The bees then disturbed Vijay Shankar, who was on strike, and the CSK star batter panicked due to the sudden attack.
Eventually, the situation worsened, and the players rushed off the field. The groundsmen quickly entered the field and used smoke to drive the bees away. Therefore, it also sparked a debate about whether Kanpur Cricket Association had such measures in place during the Under-13 tournament when the bee attack occurred in Unnao.
Fans Too not safe from bee attack in Cricket
In 2019, the England Lions toured India A for a white-ball series. During the fourth One-Day match at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, play was halted for 15 minutes due to a sudden bee attack.
The incident occurred in the 28th over when a group of bees attacked fans in the stands, leaving a few hospitalised. However, the bees did not get close to the players, and none of the stars was seriously injured during the incident.
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