A man from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district has been receiving death threats since a photo of him wearing a Pakistan jersey at a cricket match against India was shared on social media, NDTV reported on Wednesday.
Sanyam Jaiswal, 42, was in Dubai on Sunday to watch the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan. He bought a jersey of the Pakistani team at the stadium as Indian jerseys were sold out.
“I thought I would tease Pakistan fans by shouting ‘Hindustan zindabad’ while wearing their national colours,” Jaiswal said, according to The Times of India. “I didn’t know such a harmless thing would result in misery for me.”
In a video, where he is wearing a shirt, Jaiswal can be seen arguing with a Pakistan fan who asks him he was cheering for India.
Jaiswal’s family members reportedly starting getting threats after his photos were shared widely on social media. Some Twitter users put out posts urging Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath and the state police to file a case against him.
The 42-year-old man said that he was wearing a Pakistan jersey, but was holding an Indian flag. He questioned why he was being called a traitor on social media. “My father is a heart patient and he says he will get an attack from all the tension,” he said, according to The Times of India.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Bareilly) Satyartha Aniruddha Pankaj said that a case could not be registered in the matter, as the incident took place in Dubai.
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