Virat & Rohit Slammed: No Respect For Hindus?

The Bangladesh Cricket Team has arrived in India for a bilateral test series between the two countries. This has led to heated controversy, as the public is questioning the decision of the BCCI to go forward with this test series, while religious minorities, such as Hindus and Buddhists face persecution in Bangladesh.

Several social media users, commentators, as well as cricket fans, have hugely expressed their anger and frustration over what could have been a golden chance for the BCCI, and its secretary Jay Shah, to take a stand against the persecution of minorities and the anti-India rhetoric going on in the neighbouring nation of Bangladesh.

Cricket is one of the few areas where India could have shown its soft power to Bangladesh by postponing or cancelling the bilateral series, which is now being seen by many as a lost opportunity.

The anger of the public towards the BCCI and the Indian government doesn’t seem to be without solid grounds. There have been verified incidents of escalating violence and increasingly hateful comments towards the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Some academics in Bangladesh have gone as far as to suggest a nuclear treaty between Pakistan and Bangladesh to counter India, while others have openly called for genocide against Hindus.

The stance of Bangladesh’s interim government, headed by its Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, towards India, has only acted as fuel to the already burning fire in the hearts of the Indian public. Bangladesh has reportedly banned fish exports to India and has repeatedly expressed disappointment over the asylum granted to the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh by New Delhi, leading to strained relations between the two neighbouring nations.