Re: First put them on the pedestal and then beat them with Chappals…
Dhoni’s effigy burnt in hometown
Jharkhand’s ‘hero’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned into a ‘villain’ overnight in his hometown on Sunday. Scores of angry cricket fans not only burnt his effigy but also tried to ‘damage’ his under-construction house to protest Team India and the stumper’s poor performance against Bangladesh in the ongoing World Cup.
Led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the fans demanded the Jharkhand government to take back the plot of land provided to Dhoni.
Ranchi Superintendent of Police (City) Richard Lakra told HT that the protesters just shoved some bricks kept at the site.
“Nevertheless, the officers-in-charge of the police stations concerned have been asked to avert a repeat of any such incidents further. The police would keep a strict vigil both at Dhoni’s residence, where his parents stay, as also the site where his new house is coming up,” Lakra added.
The wicketkeeper batsman was out for a duck in India’s match against Bangladesh, which went on to win it.
“Dhoni had come to the crease at a time when eight overs were still left in the Indian innings. Had he not been suffering from a superiority complex, he would have first adjusted to the pitch and then gone for a shot. Arrogance was writ large on him,” JMM district vice president Arun Kumar said.
Protesters like Jitendra Xalxo and Mukesh Kumar claimed Dhoni had started equating himself with Adam Gilchrist. “The State government should take back his plot also because he’s already earning in crores in advertisements,” they said.
Protests against India’s drubbing at the hands of minnows Bangladesh were also reported from other parts of the State Capital.
However, a large number of cricket fans despite being disappointed alleged that the JMM-led protesters were playing to the camera and their protest was a mere gimmick to gain cheap publicity. “It all appears to be stage-managed,” Vinayak Singh, an onlooker and an employee in a private firm, said.