Veteran umpire dies after bee attack during cricket match in Unnao

UNNAO (Uttar Pradesh): Veteran cricket umpire Manik Gupta lost his life after a bee attack during a cricket match at the Sapru Stadium in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao. Manik was a distinguished umpire in the Kanpur cricket circuit and was also associated with the Kanpur Cricket Association.

After finishing the match, Manik went to meet a fellow umpire during a drinks break when a swarm of bees suddenly attacked everyone present, Manik’s brother Amit Kumar Gupta said. He added that while trying to escape, Manik lost his balance and fell and the bees swarmed over him. Notably, Manik had been umpiring for about 30 years and was a state panel umpire.

“His match had ended, and his fellow umpire was umpiring in a separate match. Manik went to him during the drinks break. They were both having tea, and a swarm of bees came from behind and attacked everyone present. He lost his balance and fell while trying to outrun the bees. The whole swarm of bees attacked him. Others were also attacked by the bees. He was umpiring for around 30 years. He was a state panel umpire”, said Amit Kumar Gupta.

#WATCH | Unnao, UP: Umpire Manik Gupta loses his life during a cricket match.

Umpire Manik Gupta’s brother, Amit Kumar Gupta, says, “… His match had ended… He was drinking tea, and a swarm of bees came from behind him and attacked him… He was an umpire for almost 30… pic.twitter.com/LX5hWL1bYb

— ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2026

Umpire Manik Gupta’s fellow umpire, Jagdish Sharma, said, “We were attacked by a swarm of bees during the drinks break. We ran, but since Manik bhai was older, he couldn’t outrun the bees. While everyone lay on the ground, the bees attacked all those present. Manik was severely attacked”.

Umpire Manik Gupta’s neighbour Bhartendu Puri said that he devoted his entire life to umpiring and supporting his family. He described him as fully dedicated to cricket, calling the incident unfortunate, and noted that he was a distinguished umpire and a member of the Kanpur Cricket Association.

“He has done umpiring his whole life and provided for his family. He was wholly dedicated to cricket. It is an unfortunate incident. He was a member of the Kanpur Cricket Association, and he was a distinguished umpire in Kanpur”, Bhartendu Puri said. (ANI)