KOLKATA/BURDWAN: For 18-year-old Rituparno Pakhira, a day in police custody is a small price to pay for "touching god" as is a ban on entering Eden Gardens for the rest of this IPL season. On Satuday evening, the HS student, also a budding cricketer, had scaled the fence at Eden and invaded the pitch to dive at his idol Virat Kohli's feet during the KKR vs RCB match. Kohli hugged him before security personnel whisked him away.
"The moment I touched his feet, Virat Kohli sir picked me up, asked my name and said jaldi se bhaag ja (run away fast). Kolhi sir even asked the security personnel coming to catch me to not hit me and asked them to escort me out of the ground gently," the 18-year-old gushed after being granted bail on Monday. He claimed he did not at all "regret" his act.
Banned from Eden this IPL season
Rituparno said, “I had planned to enter the ground at any cost and prepared myself. I do not have any regrets. I am very happy that I was successful and that Icould touch my god.”
Arrested and slapped with BNS sections on application of criminal force, criminal trespass and reckless actions putting lives or safety of others in danger, Rituparno had been sent to police custody for a day on Sunday, with magistrate Kaustav Mukhopadhyay advising him to “be like Kohli in life” and not risk others’ lives by breaching security.
On Monday, magistrate Mukhopadhyay turned down cops’ plea for further custody and granted him bail on the condition that he should not enter Eden for any IPL match this season or venture anywhere near the stadium. Rituparno’s mother, Kakali , also made a fervent appeal to police and judiciary to forgive her son and emphasised how he idolised Kohli.
“He adores Virat Kohli. For him, he is god. We are requesting cops and judiciary to forgive him con sidering his age and career,” she said at her home in East Burdwan’s Jamalpur.
His father, who was outside the court, said he was a farmer but did his best to fulfil his son’s desire of becoming a cricketer. An HS examinee from Parbatpur High School, Pakhira has been taking cricket coaching since the age of 12 at Netaji Athletics Club in Jamalpur. Now, he trains at aclub in Beleghata. On Sunday, he had told the court that it was his “childhood dream” to take Kohli’s blessings and that is why he had breached security.
“The magistrate granted him bail on the condition that he cannot be seen inside or anywhere near Eden during this IPL season,” said Arup Chakraborty, public prosecutor at Bankshall court.