Indian cricketer Yash Dayal denies posting Islamophobic content on his Instagram story a few days ago in the aftermath of the brutal killing of a young girl by a boy in New Delhi last week.
Yash Dayal, the fast bowler representing Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Titans, has disassociated himself from a social media post featuring an Islamophobic cartoon.
He clarified that both the original post and the subsequent apology were not made by him. The controversial Instagram post was taken down, but screenshots were widely circulated and discussed on social media platforms.
The Indian cricketer had severe backlash in India and Pakistan for allegedly stoking communal tensions while Pakistani cricket fans accused him of promoting Islamophobia.
Soon after, the account posted an apology stating, “Guys, apologies for the story, it was just posted by mistake. Please don’t spread hate… I have respect for each and every community and society.”
His full statement reads, “There were two stories posted on my Insta handle today – both of which weren’t done by me. I have reported the matter to authorities as I believe my account is being accessed by someone else and used for posting.”
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“I am trying to regain full control of my Instagram account. I respect all communities and the picture shared today does not reveal my true beliefs,” said Dayal in his statement.
Meanwhile, netizens are comparing the reaction of Indian cricketers with that of Muhammad Rizwan who expressed sympathy with the victims of the tragic train accident in India last week. The accident has left nearly 1000 people injured and has killed more than 100.
“Loss of human lives is always painful as we are all one ummah. My heart and prayers go to the people affected by the train accident in India,” said Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan while praying for the victims.