Fans taunt Rizwan with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants, politicians call it ‘unacceptable’

India on 14 October kept its record, remaining undefeated against Pakistan in the World Cup tournaments, as they beat the arch-rivals by 7 wickets in the ongoing ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad.

But a controversy erupted during the match when Pakistan wicket-keeper-batsman Muhammad Rizwan was returning to the pavilion after getting out and spectators chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

With the video going viral, politicians have reacted to it, some even called the behaviour as “unacceptable”.

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DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin said on social media platform X and wrote, “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.”

Apart from this, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale also reacted to the incident and questioned whether “we’re qualified & sporting enough to host ANY international sporting event”.

“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. Not surprisingly – the stadium where this happened is called Narendra Modi stadium,” Gokhale posted on X.

However, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia posted another video where he posted the massive crowd at the stadium can be purportedly seen singing “Jai Shri Ram”.

“The entire stadium was mesmerized with the chanting of Jai Shri Ram. Then we all saw what happened next,” Bhatia wrote.