U.P. man held in sedition case after FB post celebrating Pakistan win in T20 match goes viral

At least nine other people have been arrested and detained in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on similar charges in the last couple of days

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli congratulates Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan after Pakistan won the Cricket Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dubai, U.A.E., October 24, 2021

A man has been arrested here in a sedition case for allegedly celebrating Pakistan's victory against India in the T-20 World Cup match, police said on October 28.

At least nine other people have been arrested and detained in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on similar charges in the last couple of days.

Niaz, a resident of Faizganj Behta area, posted the picture of Pakistani flag and wrote objectionable comments in support of Pakistan on Facebook after the match, according to a complaint filed against him by Punit Shakya of Hindu Jagran Manch.

In his complaint, Mr. Shakya said Mr. Niaz's post was going viral, leading to outrage among netizens.

Budaun Senior Superintendent of Police O.P. Singh said Mr. Niaz posted a picture of Pakistan's flag on his Facebook account and captioned, "I love you Pakistan, I miss you Pakistan, Jeet Mubarak Pakistan".

Mr. Niaz was booked for sedition and under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act on October 26 and sent to jail on October 27, the SSP said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on October 28 that sedition law will be invoked against those celebrating Pakistan's victory against India in the recent T-20 World Cup match.

"Those celebrating Pakistan's victory will face sedition," a tweet posted on the official handle of Adityanath's office said.

Five such cases have been resgistered in Agra, Bareilly, Budaun and Sitapur against seven people for allegedly using indecent language against the Indian cricket team.

Three engineering students, hailing from Jammu and Kashmir and studying in a campus in Agra, were arrested on October 27 for posting celebratory messages on their WhatsApp status.

A private school teacher in Rajasthan's Udaipur was arrested on October 27, a day after she was sacked by the school management for allegedly posting a WhatsApp status celebrating Pakistan's victory.

Pakistan on October 24 had drubbed India by 10 wickets in a Super 12 game for their first win in 13 attempts over their arch-rivals India in a World Cup match.