Anti-India slogan row: Accused teen attended madrasa, had no interest in cricket, claims family

Mumbai: Weeks after a 15-year-old boy and his family were booked over anti-India slogans during a cricket match in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, they have claimed that the teen attended a madrasa for studies and wasn't interested in playing the sport or watching matches.

On February 23, a complaint was lodged against the boy, his father, who is a scrap dealer, and his mother in the Tarkarli Road area of Malvan over the alleged raising of anti-India slogans during an India-Pakistan cricket match.

The couple was arrested, and the teen was presented before a juvenile board.

In the days that followed, the family's shop and house were razed by the civic authorities, who claimed that the structures were unauthorised.

A godown of the accused scrap dealer's brother was also demolished following complaints by locals, and a notice was also served to the landowner.

The family, which hails from Uttar Pradesh, has alleged that some people had conspired to trap their son using specific words and engaging him in a conversation.

A senior police official from Sindhudurg told PTI that a probe is underway, but they had no audio or video clip of the anti-slogan raised by the teen.

Another official investigating the case said that the accused persons were on bail and they would soon file a chargesheet in the case.

Talking to PTI about the day his life took a turn for the worse, the accused teen said he was returning home after offering night prayers at a mosque when a man tried to stop him and asked his name.

"Initially, I tried to avoid him by giving a false name as I was scared, but the man again stopped me and asked me if I had watched the cricket match. I told him I don't watch cricket matches as I don't have time or interest," he said.

The boy claimed the man asked him which side he would pick during an India-Pakistan match, to which he said he would choose India.

"The man created a scene and called another man, who was standing behind, and claimed that I gave an anti-India slogan. They slapped me a couple of times," he said.

The teen said the men took him home to meet his father, who was not in the house.

People soon gathered outside the house, and a scuffle ensued between them and his parents. The men who had argued with him earlier were laughing, the boy claimed.

The boy's 38-year-old father, who was arrested in the case, maintained that his son was innocent.

"He is not interested in cricket and does not watch matches. Two people did this deliberately, and it was a pre-planned move to trouble us," he said.

The boy attends a madrasa and doesn't even get holidays, the father said.

"I have been living in Malvan with my siblings for more than 20 years. We are only involved in our family and the scrap business and don't get mixed up in any controversy," he said.

He alleged that two people had initially come to his house complaining that the boy had raised anti-India slogans, and they had beaten him up.

Later, a few others came and asked him not to escalate the matter, and they dispersed, he said.

"After some time, more than 30-35 people came to my house and started beating us. It is true that in retaliation, my wife picked up a plastic chair after some people started beating up our son, but she did not hit anybody and got pushed during the scuffle," he said.

The family went to the police station, and a case was registered against them for anti-India slogans, he said, demanding a fair probe into the case.

The entire family of the teenager seems to have paid a heavy price, as their shop, godown and home were demolished following the incident.

The boy's uncle said the authorities demolished his godown, and scrap worth lakhs of rupees was misplaced.

In a fallout of the incident, gram panchayats in some villages in Malvan decided not to allow people from other states to run their businesses without permission.

A gram panchayat in Trimbak village also placed hoardings and banners warning people from other states involved in dealing scraps, selling vegetables, hawking their wares or street vending.

"The decision was taken to avoid any untoward incident and not to target any community," the senior official has clarified.