Taliban’s weeklong blitz has left the war-torn country Afghanistan staring at the biggest humanitarian crisis. Now, a controversy has erupted in the state of Rajasthan because of the name of the Islamic fundamentalist group. Reportedly, a cricket team named after the Taliban participated in a cricket tournament that was organised in Bhaniyana village in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on Monday, August 23, attracting criticism from various quarters.
Controversy erupted after the scoreboard started displaying the name of the ‘Taliban Club C’ during the match.
Protests erupted across Jaislamer over the ‘Taliban Cricket Club’ participation in the Aladin Khan memorial cricket tournament. Many Hindu outfits, including Bajrang Dal, submitted a memorandum to the district collector and the SP on Tuesday, August 24, demanding action against the people who have “Taliban thinking”.
Bajrang Dal convener Lalu Singh Sodha said that Jaisalmer has always been a sensitive place where anti-national activities keeping taking place periodically. Denouncing Taliban for the arms attack on cities and towns in Afghanistan and its radicalism, the Sodha said that some anti-social elements on the country support the Taliban ideologies. With this act, it appears that efforts are being made to set up Taliban in India, said the Bajrang Dal convenor.
VHP district secretary Pawan Vaishnav said that there is resentment in the people of Jaisalmer over the incident and prompt action should be taken before the resentment flares up. He said that all the members of the ‘Taliban’ club, the organising committee and the organisers should be questioned and there should be a detailed background check to see which organisations are supporting them. He also demanded strict action against them.
Meanwhile, social media users have also been outraging and criticising the organisers for allowing the ‘Taliban Cricket Club’ to participate in the tournament.
‘Taliban’ cricket team removed after first match, organisers apologise for the inadvertent mistake
Following the outrage, the organisers of the tournament stated that the team ‘Taliban Cricket Club’ has been included by mistake and not only has the name been removed but even the team has been banned from participating in the competition.
A member of the organising committee also stated that they failed to notice the team’s name because of the online scoring system used this time around.
Ismail Khan, one of the organisers of the cricket tournament, apologised for their inadvertent mistake: “We were not aware of the team. The applications were invited online, so we have not paid attention to them. We had thrown out the team when this matter came to our notice through social media and other means. Sorry about this whole incident, and we are deeply sorry”.
The Aladin Khan Memorial cricket trophy is organised every year in the Jesurana village in Jaisalmer. Many teams near the town take part and play matches in the trophy. The competition is organised in the memory of a social worker, Aladdin Khan.
The ‘Taliban’ club’s cricket team consisted of Mathar Khan (captain), Abal Baazigar Khan, Aladdin Khan, Amin Khan, Gumanaram, Haji, Jako, Jamal Khan, Kamal Jan, Khamish Khan, Madhe Khan, Mahesh and Merab Khan.
