Three days after pulling out of the IPL and returning home to India, Suresh Raina broke his silence and appealed to the Punjab Government to help bring to justice the men who attacked his family.
The 33-year-old Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star player returned to India last week after quitting the IPL, which begins on September 19.
In his Twitter statement, Raina said: "What happened to my family is (sic) Punjab was beyond horrible. My uncle was slaughtered to death, my bua & both my cousins had sever (sic) injuries. Unfortunately my cousin also passed away last night after battling for life for days. My bua (aunt) is still very very critical & is on life support," he said.
Recently, CSK team's owner N. Srinivasan gave a harsh statement on Suressh's exit from IPL by saying, “I spoke to MS and he has assured me that even if the numbers go up, there was nothing to worry,” said Srinivasan. “He spoke to the players through a Zoom call and asked them to remain safe. You really don’t know who is a passive carrier. I have got a solid captain. Dhoni is simply unfazed by anything. That is giving everyone in the team a lot of confidence.”
After Raina returned home to India on Saturday and pulled out of the IPL, reports had revealed that his family had been attacked by armed robbers in a Punjab town on 19 August. Raina's 58-year-old uncle succumbed to fatal injuries sustained during an attack by armed robbers in a Punjab town.
A group of four members of the notorious 'Kale Kachhewala' gang had attacked the family while asleep on the terrace of their residence, police said. The incident occurred in Thariyal village near Madhopur in Pathankot district on the night of August 19. The robbers were armed with lethal weapons.
Raina retired from international cricket on August 15, alongside former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.