The incident had moved Sachin to such an extent that he had come to the rescue of his fan when he was told that the fan was being thrashed by police. Not only did Sachin speak to IG GL Meena to take note of the incident, but also asked him to apprise him of the action initiated against guilty policemen.
Sudhir Kumar Gautam was thrashed when he was trying to shake hands with Sachin and other players of the Indian team during the practice session on Sunday evening.
Gautam, who has endeared himself to the team and especially the Master Blaster by cycling his way to every match venue from his home in Muzaffarpur, was kicked and dragged by policemen including a senior official.
Gautam, with his body painted in tri-colours and national flag in hand, was trying to reach the nets in order to seek attention of Sachin.
Gautam claimed he had been following Sachin since 2003 and the Master Blaster had always given him entry passes so that he could cheer the members of the Indian team. "This has happened with me for the first time," he said in a choked voice.
However, with the terror attacks still fresh on their mind, policemen on duty caught hold of Gautam, preventing him from reaching the net-practice area. He suffered serious bruises all over his body and eyewitness said police went on to kick him till some persons gathered at the site intervened and recognised the die-hard fan.
However, officers at the entrance said they could not have allowed anyone to go near the team members due to security reasons. "Going by the threat perception, how can we allow anyone to go near the players?" asked a senior police official on duty at the gate no: 7 of the stadium.
Meanwhile, IG GL Meena said: "The concerned officer did not know whether the person was known to Tendulkar and he had tendered an apology in this regard."
