Cricket News: 7 University students arrested by Indian police after Australia’s World Cup win | Police in Kashmir arrested 7 university students
Seven university students have been arrested by Indian police in Kashmir following Australia’s win over India in the recent World Cup Final. Police arrested the students, who celebrated Australia’s win, for allegedly intimidating Indian fans after the result under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
This Act is part of anti-terrorism law. According to the police on Tuesday, the students displayed “anti-India sloganeering and intimidation of others who did not agree with them.” One student in particular filed a complaint regarding threats that were made by the students in question.
“They started abusing me and targeting me for being supporter of my country and also threatened me to shut up otherwise I would be shooted (sic),” read the police case file.
Kashmir’s former chief minister criticises the arrest of seven university students
Mehbooba Mufti was critical of the arrests. She believes that cheering for a team of choice should not warrant such a response.
“Why is there so much fear, restlessness and paranoia only because some students celebrated Australia’s victory?” Mufti said earlier this week. “You want to destroy their lives for cheering the team of their choice and for expressing happiness when that team plays well. I condemn it.”
However, according to a statement on X (formerly Twitter) by police in Kashmir’s Ganderbal region, the arrests were not due to the support of a sporting team. The statement said it was “about terrorising others who may be nourishing pro-India feelings or anti-Pakistan feelings or disagreeing.”
Under the UAPA legislation, people can be held for six months without charge. There was a similar incident in 2021 where six residents were detained and another several hundred students came under investigation for celebrations following Pakistan’s ten-wicket win over India in the T20 World Cup in Dubai.
