Police have started an investigation after several hundred students in Indian Occupied Kashmir cheered on India’s recent defeat to Pakistan in the cricket World Cup, officials stated today.
Almost 300 students in two top Srinagar medical colleges came together in two hostels watching the match on Sunday and immensely cheered when Pakistan defeated India in the high-octane contest in Dubai.
Videos of the students chanting “Long live Pakistan” went viral. Footage also displayed thousands of people in the city and several other towns cheering on the streets and firing off firecrackers in happiness of Pakistan’s victory.
On Tuesday, police initiated two investigations under the Unlawful Prevention Activities Act (UAPA) and raided one of the hostels, but no one was arrested, a police officer told AFP on condition of namelessness.
“The videos are being closely scrutinised to identify cheerleaders who raised pro-Pakistan and anti-Indian slogans at the end of the match and indulged in anti-national activities,” the officer told.
In a another alike incident, police arrested six individuals in the Jammu region of the territory for questioning after a video showing them supporting Pakistan’s cricket team came on social media.
“Why is loyalty to the Indian cricket team being demanded from us? Is it a crime to cheer the victory of your favourite side? Many of us are petrified for being charged under terrorism laws or even being arrested or dismissed from college,” a medical student told AFP, while asking to not be named.
