It may appear odd for the authorities to book a bunch of students from Jammu & Kashmir under the laws of sedition for merely cheering the Pakistani cricket team during a closely-fought one-day match against India recently.
It has been ingrained in the blood of an average Indian that the match between India and Pakistan is more often than not looked as a sort of war between the two countries. The world is more interested in watching a cricket war between India and Pakistan.
But the joy of the students over the victory of Pakistan speaks a lot about their leanings towards that country. Hardly anyone will see in this act a genuine admiration of the students for the performance of the Pakistani team. Framing charges and its withdrawal is not the same as not taking note of their behaviour and not framing charges. The action of Meerut Police certainly sends strong signals against anyone sympathising with Pakistan for the wrong reasons.