Controversial Hindu religious leader, Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati has threatened to disrupt an upcoming cricket match between India and Bangladesh scheduled to take place in Delhi from 19 to 23 September.
In his video statement, Narsinghanand attempts to incite a communal agenda and rally support among his followers by portraying Hindus as being under siege in Bangladesh. He alleged that “Hindus are being killed in Bangladesh and Hindu daughters are being taken by Bangladeshis, while India is welcoming their cricket team and making money.”
Notably, the Bangladesh cricket team arrived in Chennai on Sunday, September 15 for a two-match Test series against India, with the first Test set to begin on September 19.
Upon arrival, the Bangladesh cricket team received a warm welcome from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Players, including Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, and Taskin Ahmed, were greeted by enthusiastic fans and staff at their hotel.
Narsinghanand has a history of hate speech targeting Muslims and women. In his previous statements, he called for violence against the Muslim community. In addition to Narsinghanand, Hindutva members and sympathizers have expressed their anger on social media and amplified the boycott call of the Test series between India and Bangladesh.
“Recently, Hindus were attacked in Bangladesh, and anti-India sentiments emerged from there. Meanwhile, the BCCI is hosting a cricket series for Bangladesh and organizing a grand welcome for the Bangladeshi team. The BCCI does not care about people’s emotions; they are only concerned with their business,” wrote one user with the hashtag Boycott Bangladesh cricket.
“Shameless BCCI and players.. I stopped supporting Cricket team , bcos they don’t have guts and conscience to comment on the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh,” wrote another user, while sharing a post of a right-wing handle, well known for spreading disinformation on social media and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
“What a shameful scene…. We are seriously welcoming these Bangladeshi cricketers like honourable guests? Most of these are silent supporters of Hindus genocide in Bangladesh…”, wrote Mr Sinha a pro-BJP influencer who was previously booked by Hyderabad police for allegedly spreading fake news against Congress MP and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the Parliament.
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