Police arrested three Kashmiri students in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after celebrating Pakistan’s win over India in the T20 World Cup Cricket match.
The police accused them of promoting hostility and cyber terrorism by chanting “Anti-India and Pro-Pakistan” slogans.
The arrests in Agra are the latest case of India’s crackdown against Muslims for allegedly supporting the Pakistan team.
The already cold relations between the two countries were exacerbated by India’s defeat by Pakistan in the cricket match. Critics said that many Indians forgot their sportsmanship after the loss and started looking for scapegoats to blame.
After the game ended, Indian social media users quickly trolled and bullied the only Muslim player on the Indian Cricket team, Mohammed Shami. They called him a traitor and accused him of giving the Pakistan team a chance in the match.
On Monday, the three Kashmiri students in Agra were also suspended by their college because they posted WhatsApp praising Pakistani cricketers. In a statement, police said Wednesday’s arrest of three youths resulted from complaints by members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Several other Muslims also got into trouble for supporting the Pakistan team in Sunday’s match.
A teacher in the desert state of Rajasthan lost her job and was also arrested after posting a celebration of Pakistan’s victory on WhatsApp.
According to local media reports, there are also attacks on Kashmiri students in northern Punjab to celebrate Pakistan’s victory.
There were also students and staff at two medical colleges charged under the atrocious anti-terror laws by the Indian-administered Kashmir police for shouting Pro Pakistani slogans during a match.
After the match, hundreds of Kashmiris took to the streets with joy to celebrate and chant “Long live Pakistan” around the Himalayan region, an area claimed and contested by India and Pakistan for decades.
