Stone attack on Australia team bus: Two suspects held, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal sniffs a ‘design’ 

The bus was attacked on its way to the team hotel yesterday night, after the visitors beat India in the second T20 at the Banspara Stadium.
Coach Darren Lehman was injured in the hand by the stone thrown by an unknown bystander when the team was being driven back to its hotel. | Picture Courtesy: @AaronFinch5
Coach Darren Lehman was injured in the hand by the stone thrown by an unknown bystander when the team was being driven back to its hotel. | Picture Courtesy: @AaronFinch5

GUWAHATI: While the Guwahati police detained two suspects in connection with Tuesday night’s stone attack on the team bus of Australian cricketers, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal sniffed a conspiracy in the incident.

According to the police, nobody was injured in the incident that occurred when the Australians were headed to the team hotel from the Barsapara stadium after their convincing win over India in the second Twenty20 International.

Recounting the incident, the driver of the bus said, “I heard a loud noise when the bus had reached the Lokhra area. Soon, an Australian cricketer entered my cabin and informed me of the incident. I don’t know how it all happened,” he told reporters.

The incident came to light after Australian opener Aaron Finch tweeted a picture of a broken glass window of the bus.  “Pretty scary having a rock thrown through the team bus window on the way back to the hotel!!” he wrote on his Twitter account. It was retweeted by stand-in captain David Warner.

The incident triggered an outrage among people in the state and they have demanded action against the guilty.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Sonowal apologised for the incident. He also assured that the strictest of actions would be taken against the perpetrators. He said it was an unfortunate incident aimed at tarnishing Guwahati's reputation as an emerging sports hub. 

He tweeted: “So, whoever got indulged in the hooliganism did it on the sole objective of defaming Assam & derailing its journey towards the top”. 

“People of Assam don't approve this. #FIFAU17WC going on in Guwahati. FIFA & all teams expressed their satisfaction at our arrangements,” he said in another tweet.

Sonowal said it was a design which the state government would foil with the support of people of Assam. 

At his directive, the state’s sports minister Naba Kumar Doley and director general of police (DGP) Mukesh Sahay on Wednesday met the Australian cricketers at Hotel Radisson Blu where they were lodged and apologised for the incident.

Later, the DGP told the New Indian Express that two persons had been picked up. Guwahati police commissioner Hiren Nath said a team of the police was probing the incident.

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