We all know the premise. India lost the match, giving Pakistan its first World Cup victory over its archrival. As ex-captain and current mentor MS Dhoni had famously said, it was bound to happen someday. And it did. On Sunday night, Pakistan registered a comprehensive victory over India in the ongoing men’s ICC T-20 World Cup on Sunday. What Dhoni failed to predict, however, was its ugly aftermath.
Following the match, several Kashmiri students were allegedly attacked at two educational institutes in Punjab. Students from Sangrur district’s Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology tweeted videos of the “assault” from inside their hostel after the match. Similar reports came in from Kharar’s Rayat Bahra University.
Kashmiri students who were beaten in Sangrur and Kharar, Mohali told Nasir Khuehami, the national spokesperson for the J&K Students Association, that they were saved by locals and other Punjabi students. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana students stormed their rooms, assaulted them, and went berserk.
In one of the videos, one of the students accused the security officer from Sangrur College of enabling a gang of students from UP to enter their rooms and assault them. Punjab Police officers arrived at the institution afterwards and interacted with the Kashmiri students.
According to a senior Sangrur police official, there are roughly 90 Kashmiri students and around 30 students from UP and Bihar on the campus. The hostel has two wings, one for Kashmiri students and the other for non-Kashmiri students. When Pakistan scored runs throughout the match, the students cheered. They chanted slogans of ‘Azaadi’ as well.
He further added that after the match, students from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar rushed inside Kashmiri students’ rooms and started a brawl. This led to a clash between the students. Overnight, the police and college administrators were able to calm things down.
At least four students were allegedly harassed and abused in Kharar, Mohali following the India-Pakistan match, according to sources. The students claimed they were attacked by several Haryana goons, and all of them were from Rayat Bahra University.
Such occurrences have heightened feelings of insecurity and concern among Kashmiri youth studying and working outside the valley, as well as their parents and relatives.
Despite captain Virat Kohli’s admission that his side had been “outplayed” by Pakistan, Mohammed Shami, a Muslim member of India’s playing XI, was insulted on social media following the loss.
Cricket matches frequently exacerbate tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars since gaining independence from colonial Rule in 1947.
Following India’s defeat, Indian cricketer Shami received hundreds of hateful messages on Instagram, with some calling him a “traitor” and a “sell-out”. Some postings even referred to him as a “Pakistani,” implying that he should be kicked off the Indian team.
Shami made his One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty-20 International (T20I) debuts against Pakistan in 2013 and 2014, both of which India won. Ex-cricketers have come out in Shami’s support on Twitter, celebrating his 355 wickets for India and his long service to the nation.
The question arises as to why the Indian cricket team had remained silent regarding Shami’s exclusion. How come you can’t tell your own government that Muslim and Kashmiri lives are important? It may be trendy posturing for others, but it is morally repugnant.
The Indian squad took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement just before the start of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup cricket match in Dubai on Sunday.
Silence isn’t just intentional ignorance; it’s far worse. What were they kneeling for? The American players have put their careers on the line to take that spot.
Shami was one of the 11 players on the pitch that lost that night, but he wasn’t the only one.
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