This is apropos a Business Recorder news item "India arrests villagers for cheering Pakistan cricketers" carried by the newspaper yesterday. It said that Indian police arrested 15 Muslim villagers and charged them with sedition - punishable by life in prison - for celebrating Pakistan's victory over India's cricketers in the Champions Trophy at The Oval on Sunday.

The villagers were arrested in the Burhanpur district of Madhya Pradesh state on Monday after police received a complaint that they set off firecrackers and shouted slogans following Pakistan's dramatic win on Sunday. The accused have also been charged with criminal conspiracy, the officer said, adding the celebrations continued for hours in the sensitive locality. The village has a large Muslim population and a history of communal clashes between the two communities.

This report presents a sardonic comment on how India mixes sports and politics. Politics are a very serious issue while sports, on the other hand, are supposed to be an escape from everyday world. Sports and politics are a bad combination. India seems to be still in a state of pique after its team's humiliation at The Oval last Sunday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017