Disappointing to see cricket being targeted after Pulwama attack, says Pakistan captain Sarfraz
Karachi, Feb 22: Sarfaraz Ahmed is "disappointed" that cricket is being targeted after the Pulwama terror attack and said the high-profile India-Pakistan World Cup game should go ahead as planned despite calls for the match's boycott from several quarters of the neighbouring country.
The Pakistan captain insisted that sports should never be mixed with politics and said in the interest of the cricket crazy fans of both the countries, the match should be played.
"The India and Pakistan match should be played as per schedule as there are millions of people who want to watch this game. I just don't think cricket should be targeted for political gains," Sarfaraz told the CricketPakistan.com.pk website.
"It is disappointing to see cricket being targeted after the Pulwama incident. I don't recall Pakistan ever mixing sports with politics," he said.
The fate of the much-anticipated World Cup match to be held on June 16 at the Old Trafford lies in limbo after several former Indian cricketers called for its boycott in the aftermath of the ghastly terror attack that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel.
"Sports should just be taken as sports," Sarfaraz added.
The call to boycott the match has come from some prominent names in Indian cricket such as senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and former captain Mohammed Azharuddin.
But offering a different view, batting great Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar have stated that India should not hand over points to Pakistan by boycotting the game. They, however, advocated continued shunning of bilateral cricket ties.
The Committee of Administrators (CoA) running Indian cricket also decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan, but urged the ICC and other nations to "sever ties" with countries from where "terrorism emanates".
Former Pakistan captain and batting great Javed Miandad too was of the view that the game shouldn't be targeted.
"I felt bad after hearing about our pictures being removed from their (Indian) stadiums. Now this talk of boycotting the World Cup. I think India need to understand they can face consequences of such an action," Miandad said.
"I don't understand the mindset. Do they really think they (India) can get away without playing the World Cup match?" he asked.
He said India need to change its policy of mixing sports with politics.
"I just hope better sense prevails."
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
