Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi said yesterday the arrest of an Indian student for wearing a shirt bearing his name was “shameful”, but would not deter the subcontinent’s cricket-mad fans from supporting rival players.
Ripon Chowdhury, 21, was arrested on Sunday in Hailakandi, a small town in the northeastern state of Assam, while watching a local cricket tournament after his shirt angered a Hindu nationalist group. “A complaint was lodged against him by a local right-wing outfit.
We arrested him based on the complaint but gave him bail immediately,” a source told AFP on condition of anonymity, refusing to confirm media reports that Chowdhury had been charged with obscenity in a public place. Afridi, whose mighty sixes and all-or-nothing approach to batting earned him a huge following across the cricketing world, slammed the move.
“It was shameful to arrest a fan for wearing my shirt,” the 36-year-old told AFP.
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