Shiv Sena activists storm BCCI HQ over Shaharyar-Manohar meetingDAWN.COM — UPDATED 4 MINUTES AGO
Shiv Sena activists crashed through the gates of BCCI office, holding posters that read ‘Shaharyar Khan go back’. —DawnNews screengrab
MUMBAI: Activists of India’s far-right political group Shiv Sena attacked the Mumbai headquarters of the office Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday, just before Pakistan Cri*cket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan was to meet BCCI chief Shashank Manohar to discuss a bilateral series in December, NDTV reported.
According to the report, Sena activists crashed through the gates of the office in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium that serves as the headquarters of the BCCI.
The activists shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and held posters that read ‘Shahryar Khan go back’, determined to stop Manohar from meeting his Pakistani counterpart.
The protesters entered Manohar’s office and crowded around his desk, shouting slogans. At least 10 activists were arrested, the NDTV report said.
Congress lawmaker and ex-BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla condemned the attack on BCCI headquarters on Twitter saying that “cricketing decisions should be left to BCCI.”
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and head of the PCB’s executive committee Najam Sethi arrived in India on Sunday in a bid to convince the BCCI to confirm the bilateral series in December.
The Indian and Pakistani boards had signed a pact for six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023, beginning with Pakistan’s home series in December.
India have not played a bilateral Test series against Pakistan since 2007, though they did host them for two T20Is and three ODIs between December 2012 and January 2013.
Activists belonging to Shiv Sena — a junior partner in a ruling coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Maharashtra state government — last week attacked Sudheendra Kulkarni, who organised a book launch in Mumbai for former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri.
The group was also accused of using threats to force the cancellation of an appearance in Mumbai by Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali.
Shiv Sena, a hardline outfit founded by the late Bal Thackeray, has in the past threatened Pakistani athletes to deter them from engaging in competitive sports in India.
Also read: Kabaddi: Shiv Sena pressure forces Patna to bench Pakistani players
Thackeray often referred to Indian Muslims as “anti-nationals” and called for Hindu suicide squads to counter what he saw as a rise in ‘Islamic terrorism’.
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