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India arrests 19 people celebrating Pakistan's Champions Trophy cricket win

Amnesty International has called for the men to be released immediately saying the arrests violate freedom of expression

Wednesday 21 June 2017 08:30 BST

Pakistan's victory in the Champions Trophy final sparked celebrations across India, including in the hotly disputed region of Kashmir (AFP/Getty Images)

Nineteen people have been arrested in India for shouting "pro-Pakistan and anti-India" slogans after the national team's surprise defeat in the Champions Trophy cricket final.

Pakistan thrashed their arch-rivals by 180 runs in the game held at the Oval in London, sparking wild celebrations across the world.

The Times of India reports that 15 men were arrested on charges of sedition in the central state of Madhya Pradesh as well as three minors in Uttarkhand province and another in Bihar.

Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

Show all 10

1/10Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

1.Bradman's final duck, The Oval, 14 August 1948
Cheered to the crease by fans and players for his final Test innings, Donald Bradman needed only four more runs for an average of 100. Facing leg-spinner Eric Hollies, Bradman blocked his first ball but was bowled by his second; one of only 44 Test wickets in Hollies's career. Bradman slowly returned to the pavilion - still the greatest, but bowing out on an almost tragic note.

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

2. Jim Laker takes 19 wickets in one test, Old Trafford, 31 July 1956
Another shot at statistical perfection that fell just short. After England had scored 459, Laker took 9-37 as the Australians were bowled out for 84; then, as the tourists followed on, Laker outdid himself, taking 10-53 on a dramatic final evening. England won by an innings and 170 runs, while Laker's off-breaks had earned him the miraculous match figures of 19-90.

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

3. Viv Richards mauls England, The Oval, 13 August, 1976
Before the series, England captain Tony Greig spoke of his intention to make the West Indies 'grovel'. But it was the hosts who were humiliated by the touring side. Viv Richards hit 232 in the drawn first Test, while the West Indies won the third and fourth to take the series. But at the Oval Richards hit an unforgettable 291, having been 200 not out at stumps on day one. He scored 38 fours, induced several pitch invasions, and looked well set to break Gary Sobers's Test record of 365 before he was bowled by Greig.

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

4. Shane Warne's 'Ball of the century', Old Trafford, 4 June, 1993
Few people in England knew anything about Shane Warne when he came in to begin his first over on the second day of the First Test in the 1993 Ashes series. His first ball drifted well outside Mike Gatting's leg stump, then turned so sharply that it missed both bat and pad to clip the bail on the off side. Gatting took some time to walk, being unable to believe his eyes. A star had been born, and a renaissance in spin bowling had been set in motion.

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

5. Brian Lara scores 400 not out, Antigua, 12 April, 2004
Having allowed Matthew Hayden to hold the Test score record for six months, Brian Lara seized it back with a monumental innings at Antigua Recreation Ground in St. John's. It was in the same stadium that he had claimed the record in 10 years earlier (with an innnings of 375) and against the same opponents - England. Meanwhile, his wider first class record - 501 not out - remained intact.

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

6. England win the second Ashes test , Edgbaston, 7 august, 2005
A Test match of unparalleled tension, culminating in an impossibly dramatic finale. When Brett Lee hit Steve Harmison through the offside two balls before the tenth wicket fell he almost won the Test for the Australians. At two-nil down England would have needed three straight wins to regain the Ashes. But the ball was cut off, Lee took only a single and Kasprowicz was left on strike, needing three runs. He gloved Harmison to Jones, and England were level. Amid the celebrations, Andrew Flintoff found the time to console brett Lee

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

7. Colin Cowdrey saves England with a broken arm, Lord's, 25 June, 1963
In a tightly contested Lord's test, England began the final over with numbers 10 and 11 at the crease. Then Len Shackleton was run out, with two balls remaining. Out came Cowdrey, who had retired hurt earlier after having his arm broken by a ball from Wes Hall - and the draw was saved.

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

8. Sobers hits six sixes in an over swansea, 31 August, 1968
The bowler was Glamorgan's Malcolm Nash. The batsman was Nottinghamshire's Gary Sobers, arguably the greatest all-rounder of all time. Sobers hit the first five balls of Nash's over for clean sixes; the sixth was caught on the boundary but carried over - making the first class game's first ever perfect 36.

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Great Sporting Moments: Cricket

9. Mike Atherton v Allan Donald, Trent Bridge, 26 July, 1998
With the Fourth Test of South Africa's 1998 tour closely balanced, Donald, one of the great fast bowlers, unleashed a spell of terrifying ferocity. Atherton, struggling to see the ball in the final session of play, was none the less immovable - even when Donald thought he had edged a catch behind. Donald responded with a combination of four-letter abuse and terrifying bouncers, but Atherton survived until the close, and by the time Donald had him caught at square leg the next morning, the moment had been lost. England won by eight wickets.

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The men were denied bail and the minors sent to a juvenile home.

"While the entire country was saddened by the defeat, these people were raising slogans in favour of Pakistan and burst crackers on Sunday night, threatening peace in the area," said Sanjay Pathak, chief officer of Shahpur police station.

Sedition, which makes "attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government" punishable by law under Section 124A of the Indian penal code, has a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

Amnesty International has called for the men to be released immediately saying the arrests violate freedom of expression.

“These arrests are patently absurd, and the 19 men should be released immediately," said Asmita Basu, Amnesty's India programmes director.

“Even if the arrested men had supported Pakistan, as the police claim, that is not a crime. Supporting a sporting team is a matter of individual choice, and arresting someone for cheering a rival team clearly violates their right to freedom of expression.”

The minors in Uttarkhand were reported to have been arrested after shouting "Pakistan Zindabad" (Long Live Pakistan).

Twenty-three more were cautioned in the southern state of Kerala following a complaint from a local official of the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party.

Pakistan's victory also sparked tensions in the disputed territory of Kashmir.

According to the Hindustan Times, the celebrations led to violence with security forces smashing vehicles and dispersing crowds with tear gas.

Tensions in the region are reported to be at a decades long high.

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