Hindu Mahasabha Protests India-Bangladesh Cricket Match in Gwalior Amid Community Tensions

The Hindu Mahasabha has announced its opposition to the upcoming India-Bangladesh cricket match in Gwalior, slated for October 6, citing targeted attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh. The right-wing group threatened to damage the venue to prevent the match, urging Prime Minister Modi to intervene and cancel the event.

The Hindu Mahasabha declared on Wednesday its opposition to the scheduled India-Bangladesh cricket match in Gwalior, planned for October, as a protest against what it describes as the 'massacre of Hindus' in Bangladesh. The group threatened to 'damage' the match venue if the event is not cancelled.

The scheduled T20 match will take place at the Madhavrao Scindia International Cricket Stadium in Gwalior on October 6. Dr. Jaiveer Bharadwaj, Mahasabha's vice president, emphasized that the right-wing outfit would oppose the match in all possible ways.

'Hindus are being massacred in Bangladesh, and temples are being destroyed. The India-Bangladesh cricket match in Gwalior will be opposed,' he stated, arguing that the match should be cancelled to maintain peace and avoid unrest in the country.

Bharadwaj further warned that Mahasabha activists would attempt to damage the venue and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to halt the match.

Incidents of targeted attacks on the minority Hindu community have been reported in Bangladesh following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina-led government. Earlier, Mahanaryaman Scindia, vice president of the Gwalior Division Cricket Association (GDCA) and son of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, confirmed that the match would proceed as planned on October 6.

This would be the first international cricket match in Gwalior in 14 years, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently shifted the venue from Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, due to ongoing upgradation and renovation work.

(With inputs from agencies.)