Police in India have arrested seven Muslim youths, accusing them of sedition and cyberterrorism for celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India in a cricket match on Sunday.
The arrested youth face sedition charges, which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, as well as cyberterrorism and “promoting enmity among groups”.
Those arrested include Arsheed Yousuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Ganai, who have been accused of posting messages on social media supporting Pakistan. The three, who are from Kashmir, are engineering students at Raja Balwant Singh College in Agra and they have also been suspended from college.
Arrests were also made at two medical colleges in Srinagar after police reportedly received complaints.
Pakistan resoundingly beat India at the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday, for its first cricket win against its bigger neighbour in such a match, triggering celebrations at home and in Muslim-majority Kashmir.
The Guardian reported that India’s only Muslim cricketer in the T20 team, was subjected to a vicious barrage of online abuse after the match.
According to the news site, the issue of some Indian Muslims cheering and clapping whenever Pakistan defeats India in a cricket match has been a bone of contention for decades.
