A day after India lost to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final that was held in London, three youngsters from Karnataka were arrested for "celebrating" Pakistan's victory.
The incident occurred in Suntikoppa police station limits in Kodagu. Riyaz, Zahair and Abdul Samaan allegedly burst crackers at a public junction reportedly to celebrate the victory of the winning team.
With emotions running high on India-Pakistan rivalry, the act earned the ire of some local residents. Chengappa, a local BJP member, filed a complaint with the Suntikoppa police on Monday. The same day, the police arrested the three men.
"The accused does not belong to any political party, but they burst crackers and celebrated when Pakistan won in the cricket match. Some locals took objection to this and filed a complaint. A case has been registered against the three youth under section 295 (a) of the IPC," Suntikoppa inspector told TNM, confirming the arrest. The section criminalizes “Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs”.
The Hindu reports that Kodagu district BJP president BB Bharatheesh said that celebrating Pakistan’s victory on Indian soil was a dangerous trend, one that had to be nipped in the bud.
The report also states that while senior leaders of the community including PM Latif urged the police to let off the youngsters after counselling, their request was rejected by the right-wing groups.