Ujjain, Dec 27 Religious leaders in Ujjain have issued a stark warning to disrupt Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches by damaging pitches if Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman is allowed to participate.
The threat stems from growing anger over recent violent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, particularly two brutal lynching incidents involving blasphemy allegations.
The seers, including Mahavir Nath, chief priest of the Rinmukteshwar Mahadev Temple in Ujjain, told reporters that ascetic warriors will storm stadiums to prevent matches involving the Bangladeshi player. They accuse authorities of ignoring the "persecution" of Hindus in Bangladesh while permitting its cricketers to play in India. Other seer organisations have also issued the same warning.
The controversy intensified after Kolkata Knight Riders acquired Mustafizur Rahman, the only Bangladeshi player picked in the recent IPL auction, for Rs 9.20 crore. Social media campaigns have called for boycotting KKR, with users labelling it a "slap on every Hindu's face" amid reports of minority violence.
The incidents in Bangladesh have fuelled the outrage. On December 18, in Bhaluka Upazila, Mymensingh district, 27-year-old Hindu garment factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was accused by Muslim co-workers of allegedly making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad during an event marking World Arabic Language Day.
He was dragged from his workplace at Pioneer Knit Composite Factory, brutally beaten by a mob, hanged from a tree, and his body set on fire beside a highway.
Investigations found no direct evidence of blasphemy, with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arresting several individuals. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus condemned the act but described it as isolated, amid broader unrest following the death of a prominent youth leader.
Days later, on December 24, another Hindu man, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal (alias Samrat or Amit Mondal), was lynched in Rajbari's Pangsha sub-district over allegations of extortion. Villagers attacked him, and though police rescued him in critical condition, he succumbed at the hospital.
Bageshwar Dham's spiritual leader Dhirendra Shastri, during a visit to Raipur on Friday, condemned the attacks as "unfortunate" and warned that without government intervention, Hindus in Bangladesh could face extinction.
He called for deporting Bangladeshi infiltrators in India and urged strong measures to protect minorities abroad, stating, "If Hindus there are not safe, they should be given refuge here." These developments have strained India-Bangladesh ties, with India expressing grave concern over documented violence against minorities. Hindu nationalist groups in India have held protests, while Bangladesh authorities have made arrests in the cases.
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