Brawl erupts in Mohan Bagan vs Railways CFL clash, umbrellas used as braces in bizarre treatment

The Premier Division fixture of the Calcutta Football League between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Railway FC will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as the match turned out into a veritable battlefield seeing the expulsion of five (four players and a team official), at the Barrackpore Stadium on Monday. 

Mohun Bagan scored once in each half to secure the full quota of points but its win was overshadowed by multiple violent altercations and an episode of shocking on-ground treatment procedure.

The first major incident occurred in the 35th minute when Railways player Tarak Hembram sustained what appeared to be a serious knee injury following a tackle by a Bagan defender. What followed was a truly bizarre and concerning scene: instead of professional medical assistance, umbrellas were shockingly used as makeshift braces to stabilize Hembram’s leg.

While this improvised “treatment” might have drawn a few incredulous smiles from the sparse crowd, it starkly highlighted the deplorable state of on-ground medical support in Indian football. Hembram was eventually transported to a nearby hospital for proper care.

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The match further spiralled into disarray in the 59th minute after a severe foul by Railway FC defender Soumik Koley on Mohun Bagan midfielder Mingma Sherpa ignited a full-blown brawl. Players and officials from both benches rushed onto the field, escalating the situation into a mass confrontation.

Once order was eventually restored, referee Bimalendu Mondal took decisive action, issuing red cards to three Railway FC players — Abhishek Aich, Sudipta Banerjee, and Koley — and two individuals from Mohun Bagan — player Sahil Inamdar and team manager Rahul Dutta — for their involvement in the melee.