15 arrested for sedition after cheering for Pakistan in MP
Madhya Pradesh police have arrested 15 people in Burhanpur district and charged them with sedition for allegedly cheering for Pakistan after the Champions Trophy final against India on Sunday. The police registered an FIR after locals complained about the boys, who were reportedly raising pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans. Police said they were apprehensive that a communal situation could erupt.
Police in Madhya Pradesh have arrested 15 youngsters and have charged them with sedition allegedly because they cheered and seemingly supported the Pakistani cricket team over the Indians during Sunday's Champions Trophy finals. The 15 youngsters, who are from the same community, were arrested from Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur district and are set to be produced in front of a court today. Additional Director General (ADG) Indore Ajay Sharma told India Today that a resident of village Mohad in Burhanpur district filed a complaint with the Shahpur police station that some youngsters were celebrating the victory of Pakistan and were also raising pro-Pakistan slogans. The complainant said that crackers were being burst close to homes of people belonging to the majority community. Acting on the complaint, police detained and booked the youngsters under section 124A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.The police said that they were apprehensive that a communal situation could erupt in the area after the match owing to youngsters' alleged cheering for the Pakistani. Police believed that the tempers were particularly running high as the outcome of the match was unfavourable for the Indian cricket team. The police said that the similar complaints had been received from the village, which is located close to the Maharashtra border, in the past during India-Pakistan cricket encounters. A top police official claimed that the charges were invoked not for supporting a particular side during the cricket game but because pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans were raised.Also read:Many Indians thank team India for losing Champions Trophy to Pakistan 