New Delhi (PTI): The cricketers from Pakistan have enjoyed the warmth and hospitality ever since they landed in India to compete in the World Cup but a video has surfaced on social media where Mohammed Rizwan was seen getting heckled by a few fans in Ahmedabad with the chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' while he walked back to pavilion during the marquee clash on Saturday.
A group of fans shouted 'Jai Shri Ram' (Hail Lord Ram) multiple times when Rizwan was walking back to the pavilion after being dismissed by pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Rizwan scored 49 runs and Pakistan could put on board only 191, a target which India chased without much fuss to record its eighth straight win over the arch-rivals in World Cups.
Several politicians denounced the act.
DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin posted the video with a comment that such crowd behaviour is "unacceptable".
"India is renowned for its sportsmanship and hospitality. However, the treatment meted out to Pakistan players at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is unacceptable and a new low. Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool to spread hatred is condemnable," he wrote on X.
Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale also criticised the fans for heckling Rizwan.
"PM Modi desperately wants India to host the 2036 Olympics. But if this is what BJP has reduced our audiences to - where they heckle a Pakistani player with chants of Jai Shri Ram - massive doubts remain over whether we're qualified & sporting enough to host ANY international sporting event," he wrote.
Pakistan players, led by Babar Azam, have received tremendous respect and a warm welcome upon their arrival first in Hyderabad and then in Ahmedabad.
India is renowned for its sportsmanship and hospitality. However, the treatment meted out to Pakistan players at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is unacceptable and a new low. Sports should be a unifying force between countries, fostering true brotherhood. Using it as a tool… pic.twitter.com/MJnPJsERyK
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) October 14, 2023
PM Modi desperately wants India to host the 2036 Olympics.
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) October 15, 2023
But if this is what BJP has reduced our audiences to - where they heckle a Pakistani player with chants of Jai Shri Ram - massive doubts remain over whether we’re qualified & sporting enough to host ANY international… pic.twitter.com/8m4BgdAOFn
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Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
