Hindutva supporters and sympathisers have also expressed their anger on social media and amplified the boycott call of the Test series
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati, infamous for his anti-Muslim diatribe, has threatened to disrupt a cricket match between India and Bangladesh starting in the national capital on Thursday.
The hate-mongering, Islamophobic Hindu militant is a priest of Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.
In a 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,” media reports said on Wednesday.
Narsinghanand declared that he would not allow the match to take place in Delhi. “The BCCI can conduct matches anywhere else in the country, but we will not allow them to host the match in Delhi as long as atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh continue,” he said.
The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) has not yet responded to Narsinghanand’s threats. However, given the gravity of the situation, it is expected that security arrangements will be tightened in case the match goes ahead in Delhi.
The Bangladesh cricket team arrived in Chennai on Sunday for a two-match Test series against India. It 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.
In addition to Narsinghanand, Hindutva members and sympathisers have also 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 organising 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 the 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 Hindu genocide in Bangladesh…”, wrote Mr Sinha a pro-BJP influencer who was previously booked by Hyderabad Police for allegedly spreading fake news against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the Parliament.
