India summons Wikipedia officials over cricketer Arshdeep’s bio tweak following dropped catch against Pakistan

Published September 5, 2022
Pakistan hitter Asif Ali (not pictured) survived after Indian cricketer Arshdeep Singh dropped his catch in the closing stages of a tense India-Pakistan match on Sep 4 (Sunday). — Picture via Twitter
Pakistan hitter Asif Ali (not pictured) survived after Indian cricketer Arshdeep Singh dropped his catch in the closing stages of a tense India-Pakistan match on Sep 4 (Sunday). — Picture via Twitter

India has summoned executives of Wikipedia after a national cricketer’s page on the online encyclopedia was edited following a match with rival Pakistan to claim that he was linked to a Sikh separatist movement, a government source said on Monday.

Indian cricketer Arshdeep Singh has incurred the wrath of many social media users since Sunday when he dropped a simple catch in the closing stages of a tense India-Pakistan match.

Singh’s Wikipedia page on Sunday said the Sikh cricketer, born in northern Indian state of Punjab, had been selected to play for Khalistan, referring to an independent Sikh state sought by some groups but which does not exist.

The Wikipedia page has since been rectified.

A senior government source said the federal information technology (IT) ministry has summoned Wikipedia executives over the incident, without elaborating.

India’s IT ministry and Wikipedia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

India’s Economic Times newspaper reported earlier on Monday a government panel will question Wikipedia on how the online encyclopedia is edited and how modifications such as those made to Singh’s page could be allowed.

“The edits have been traced back to servers in the neighboring countries and can cause serious damage to the internal peace and national safety of India,” the newspaper quoted a government official as claiming.

Wikipedia’s articles, written primarily by unpaid volunteers, are relied on by platforms from Google to Amazon Alexa to give their users information and context.

Emotions run high whenever India play Pakistan in what is cricket’s most passionate rivalry between the bitter neighbours.

India prevailed in the first group match between the arch-rivals on Aug 28 but Pakistan swiftly exacted revenge clinching Sunday’s thriller at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Opinion

Editorial

Revised solar policy
Updated 15 Mar, 2025

Revised solar policy

Criticism policy revisions misplaced as these will increase payback periods for consumers with oversized solar systems.
Toxic prejudice
15 Mar, 2025

Toxic prejudice

WITH far-right movements on the march across the world, it is no surprise that anti-Muslim bias is witnessing high...
Children in jails
15 Mar, 2025

Children in jails

PAKISTAN’S children in prison have often been treated like adult criminals. The Sindh government’s programme to...
Cohesive response
Updated 14 Mar, 2025

Cohesive response

Solely militarised response has failed to deliver, counterterrorism efforts must be complemented by political outreach in Balochistan.
Agriculture tax
14 Mar, 2025

Agriculture tax

THE changes in the provincial agriculture income tax laws aimed at aligning their rates with the federal corporate...
Closing the gap
14 Mar, 2025

Closing the gap

PAKISTAN continues to struggle with gender inequality in its labour market. A new report by the ILO shows just how...