An Indian national cricketer who plays for Indian Premier league franchise Gujarat Titans, posted an Islamophobic post to his Instagram account, however, after public anger the fast bowler took down the story.
Social media users alleged that the cricketer Yash Dayal “was posting Islamophobic stories on Instagram and generalising” the Muslim community.
The fast bowler faced severe backlash from fans and other social media users who have criticized him for stirring up controversy on a sensitive subject, reported Muslim Mirror.
Technology Journalist, Abhishek Baxi, took to Twitter and wrote “A @BCCI Uttar Pradesh and @gujarat_titans player, Yash Dayal, posted this on Instagram. He has since deleted it. – No action against him? – Hasn’t he let down his Muslim teammates? – How does team management work out with a bigoted individual in a team sport?”
Karthik Krishnaswamy said, “Yash Dayal’s post is only a symptom of the horrors that the BJP has unleashed across the country, empowering right-wing militias to harass interfaith couples with impunity and turning fearmongering over “love jihad” into de facto state policy.”
“Yash Dayal lost 8 kgs when Rinku Singh smashed him for 5 sixes, and he knew his career was almost over. Now, he is attempting to save his career by posting Islamophobic content on Instagram in an attempt to gain support from radicals,” another user said.
Some people, however, extended their support to Yash and called him a Hindu Sher (Hindu lion). “Lord Yash Dayal should be immediately made captain of Gujrat Titans Landya mc licking Rashid, Noor, Shami as he gets carried by them that is not how hindu is. He is like Yash Dayal who did not give fck about these buslim talibani jihadis and showed every mc jihadi bslim his aukat,” a user wrote in Yash Dayal’s support.
Some called him modern-day Savarkar.
Following the controversy, Dayal took to his Instagram account again and issued an apology, clarifying that the previous story was posted “by mistake”.
Uttar Pradesh cricketer Yash Dayal on Monday invited fresh controversy after sharing a communal cartoon vilifying Muslims on social media.
Dayal’s Instagram story, which has since gone viral on social media has attracted backlash from all sides. Some users requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take cognisance of the incident, while many called for the police to take action on the player.
Yash Dayal further went on to call his Islamophobic Instagram story a ‘mistake’ sharing an apology on the social media platform. “I have respect for each and every community n society,” his apology said.
Dayal was catapulted to social media fame during the 2023 Indian Premier League. In a must-win match, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh thrashed Dayal for five straight sixes. The Gujarat Titans player was handed the ball to defend 28 runs in the final over.
The cartoon, which was shared on the Gujarat Titans player’s Instagram story, showcased Islamophobic imagery purporting the existence of ‘love jihad’.
‘Love jihad’ is a conspiracy theory used by right-wing extremists as a propaganda tool against Muslims.
Some even went on to accuse Dayal of taking to Islamophobia in seek of a political career. “Rinku Singh has already concluded his career, and now Yash Dayal is seeking a position within a political party,” a tweet read.
