KANPUR: Senior umpire of the Kanpur Cricket Association (KCA) panel, Manik Gupta, died during a match on Wednesday after a swarm of bees attacked at Sapru ground in Shuklaganj Unnao, stinging umpires and players on the field.Gupta, 65, was an umpire at a KDMA league match being played between YMCC and Paramount when the bees attacked. Several players and umpires caught in the attack were severely injured. Gupta and the other umpire, Jagdish Sharma, were in white clothes, and the swarm remained around them for about 10minutes.Gupta was taken to two private hospitals in Shuklaganj in Unnao, then to Lala Lajpat Rai hospital (LLR) and from there to Laxmipat Singhania Institute of Cardiology Kanpur, where doctors declared him dead.

Gupta, a resident of Pheelkhana, had been part of KCA’s umpiring panel for 30 years.KCA chairman Sanjay Kapoor said it is a tragic incident. “The senior umpire of KCA was dedicated to the game. The KCA family shares every sorrow and stands with the bereaved family. All possible help will be provided to his family,” he said. His last rites will be performed on Thursday.