Kolkata: Over 40 members of the BJP’s youth wing were Saturday arrested for protesting outside the Eden Gardens here, demanding that the photographs of Pakistani cricketers, including that of Imran Khan, be removed from the iconic stadium’s gallery.
The protesters demanded a meeting with Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president and former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly to hand over a letter seeking removal of photographs of Pakistani cricketers from the stadium, BJP sources said.
Over 40 members of the BJP’s youth wing have been arrested in this connection, a senior Kolkata police officer said.
The stadium’s gallery features photographs of several Pakistani cricketers, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to a CAB official.
Ganguly, who has said that India should not play against Pakistan in the upcoming cricket World Cup protesting the Pulwama terror attack, could not be reached for his reaction.
The Eden Garden protest came close on the heels of similar agitations in cricket stadiums in Mumbai and Nagpur.
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We should also stop the winds coming from Pakistan.
One way or another, it makes no difference, like Jinnah’s portrait being displayed in AMU. What is more worrying is that a concerted campaign seems to be underway to create a monster out of Pakistan, not least because it is a Muslim country. Successive governments have tried – and largely failed – to normalise relations. There was a consensus that better relations with Pakistan was an object worthy of being pursued diligently, supported by a great deal of realism. Now a narrative is being pursued that the effort itself is malignant. Men like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar are being challenged to prove their patriotism by people who have not contributed a bunch of bananas to India’s greatness. Anjaam achha nahin hoga.