Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after Kolkata Knight Riders were ordered to terminate the contract of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.
Mustafizur’s inclusion in the KKR squad came under scrutiny following the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh. With reports of targeted atrocities against Hindus coming out of the country, the BCCI faced backlash from several quarters.
On Saturday, January 1, the BCCI instructed KKR to release the player who was bought for Rs 9.2 crore. The board assured the franchise that it would be able to sign a replacement.
However, Tharoor reacted strongly to the decision, calling it regrettable to punish a cricketer because of the political situation in his country.
The Congress leader approached X to express his disapproval and asked if the BCCI would have acted similarly if the player in question belonged to a different religion.
“I am reminded of my views on this subject when the BCCI deplorably pulled the plug on Mustafizur Rahman. What if that Bangladeshi player was Litton Das or Soumya Sarkar? Who are we punishing here: the nation, the individual, his religion? Where will this mindless politicization of sport lead us?” Tharoor wrote on Saturday, shortly after KKR’s announcement.
According to a report by the Human Rights Congress of Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), between June and December 2025, at least 71 incidents of alleged blasphemy against members of the Hindu minority were recorded in Bangladesh.
The report documents a series of actions, including arrests, mob violence, vandalism at homes, expulsions from educational institutions and deadly attacks, spreading across more than 30 districts. In several cases, minors were also among the accused.
Rights groups have warned that the pattern points to a deeper, systemic vulnerability of the country’s religious minorities. India also expressed concern, describing the situation as “constant hostility” against minorities in the neighboring country.
Hindu man stabbed in Bangladesh
A Hindu businessman in Bangladesh narrowly escaped death after he was beaten, stabbed and set on fire by a mob, the fourth such attack on the minority community in two weeks. The victim, identified as 40-year-old Khokan Chandra, survived by jumping into a nearby pond, though he sustained severe burns.
The incident took place on New Year’s Eve in Keurbhanga Bazar. Khokan was returning home around 9:00 pm after closing the pharmacy when he was intercepted by a group of assailants in the Tiloi area. He was brutally attacked, stabbed several times with sharp weapons and doused with gasoline before being set on fire.
Despite the attack, Khokan managed to escape by jumping into a nearby pond. Locals later rescued him and rushed him to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, where doctors described his condition as critical.
The attack further heightened fear and tension among Bangladesh’s Hindu minority as it came amid a spate of attacks and lynchings in recent weeks. The violence followed protests against the killing of anti-India youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, demonstrations that took a sharply anti-India tone amid claims that those responsible had fled to India.
Atul Wasan defends BCCI, KKR
Prior to the release of Mustafizur, KKR and Shah Rukh Khan faced massive backlash from right-wing groups in India. The team was criticized for including Mustafizur, a player hailing from Bangladesh, in their squad.
However, former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan stood by KKR and SRK and said that it was not right to criticize the team.
“Blaming Shah Rukh Khan is unfair as he is not the sole owner of KKR and KKR was not the only team bidding for the player. Taking away the player will not change anything…,” he told ANI.
“And just removing one player will not fulfill our revenge. And I think we should mature a bit and think about it. If we are to show our anger to Bangladesh and make sure that they should not be able to take advantage of anything that is beneficial to them, then you have done the right thing. But that decision, by preventing it, you seemed to put all the blame on KKR or Shah Rukh,” he added.
Wassan supported the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the team, saying that sports and politics went hand in hand and could not be kept apart. He expressed confidence that the Indian government would find a way to deal with their moribund relationship with Bangladesh in time.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
January 3, 2026
