Following Australia’s big victory in the 2023 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, an Instagram post shared by Australian cricket team captain Pat Cummins caught everyone’s attention. In the picture, it can be seen that all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is sitting on the sofa with a pint in his hand and his feet resting on the World Cup trophy kept on the floor. The photo was widely shared on social media and netizens criticized it with some calling it a disrespectful act.
Days after Pat Cummins’ Instagram post sparked a controversy on the social media platform, a bizarre claim regarding the picture is being shared on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter). An X handle Amouk (Archived link) claimed that an activist named Pandit Keshav has filed an FIR against Mitchell Marsh in Aligarh and alleged that Marsh has hurt the sentiments of Indian cricket team fans by placing his foot on the World Cup trophy.
An FIR was lodged against Australian cricketer Mitchell Marsh in Aligarh, UP because he dropped his feet on WC trophy.😂
— Amock (@Politics_2022_) November 24, 2023
The complaint was filed by activist Pandit Keshav, alleging that Marsh has offended the sentiments of Indian cricket team fans.
A BJP leader urinated on the… pic.twitter.com/liNty2wcSu
Apart from that, the claim was widely shared by many other handles like Times Algebra (Archived link) and Ramandeep Singh Mann (Archived link).
BREAKING NEWS 🚨 FIR filed against Australian cricketer Mitchell Marsh in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh for keeping feet on World Cup trophy, alleging that his actions hurt the sentiments of Indians.
— Times Algebra (@TimesAlgebraIND) November 24, 2023
Mohammed Shami also slammed Mitchell Marsh, saying he was hurt to see Marsh’s feet on… pic.twitter.com/bTJVoDuF5A
An FIR has been filed against Australian cricketer Mitchell Marsh, Pandit Keshav alleged that Marsh's actions of dropping his legs on the World Cup trophy have deeply offended the sentiments of Indian cricket team fans.
— Ramandeep Singh Mann (@ramanmann1974) November 24, 2023
Were you offended ?
Moreover, the claim was also endorsed by a few Pakistani handles named Farid khan (Archived link) Imran Siddiqui (Archived link), Pakistan Republic (Archived link) and Dialogue Pakistan (Archived link). Over the past several days, there has been a pattern where Pakistani accounts have taken the lead in spreading false information about the World Cup in an attempt to harm India’s reputation.
An FIR has been filed against Australia all-rounder Mitch Marsh by Pandit Keshav who is an RTI activist. The complaint was filed in Aligarh in UP. It states that Marsh's conduct of dropping legs on the World Cup trophy had hurt Indian cricket team fans 👀
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) November 24, 2023
He also sent a copy of… pic.twitter.com/eCydGdt0JD
FIR filed against Mitchell Marsh by RTI activist Pandit Keshav in UP which states that Marsh's conduct of dropping legs on the World Cup trophy had hurt Indian fans he requested prime minister not to allow Mitch Marsh to play any cricket in India in future
— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) November 24, 2023
Lol pic.twitter.com/znLi8J21p5
The only way to bring World Cup Trophy back home.
— Pakistan Republic (@republicdotpk) November 24, 2023
An FIR has been filed against Australian cricketer Mitchell March in Aligarh UP, India for placing feet on the World Cup trophy.#pakistanrepublic pic.twitter.com/2LXWPF5Bl5
Australian player Mitchell Marsh has been booked in India for putting his feet on the ICC Men's World Cup 2023 trophy after his team won it by defeating the home team on 19 November.
— Dialogue Pakistan (@DialoguePak) November 24, 2023
The FIR was filed after a complaint was made by RTI activist Pandit Keshav, who alleged Marsh's… pic.twitter.com/5UzQ5y9jFX
After the tweet went viral on the X platform, several news outlets, without independently checking the facts, reported that an RTI activist from Uttar Pradesh has filed an FIR against Mitchell Marsh for resting his feet on the trophy. This was an example of careless journalism. ABP News (Archived link), Aaj Tak (Archived link), Aisa net news (Archived link), Cricket Buzz (Archived link), and Cric Tracker (Archived link) are among the news outlets that contributed to the dissemination of this unverified claim.
Also read: Debunked: Viral Video of David Warner Fielding Amidst ‘Jai Sri Ram’ Chants is Fabricated
Fact check
A clarification has come from Aligarh Police end after the claim of Aligarh Police registering an FIR against Michelle Marsh went viral on social media. In our fact check, we found the clarification video in which they have clarified that no such FIR has been registered in any police station in Aligarh nor have they taken cognizance of any such complaint. Here is the archived link of the video.
उपरोक्त प्रकरण में कोई मुकदमा/FIR पंजीकृत नहीं है, प्रकरण के संबंध में पुलिस अधीक्षक नगर अलीगढ़ श्री मृगांक शेखर की बाइट pic.twitter.com/C9z1mXgXND
— ALIGARH POLICE (@aligarhpolice) November 24, 2023
Furthermore, a report by Amar Ujala sheds more light on this strange case. According to the report, President of Anti Corruption Army Pt. Keshav Dev has filed a complaint against Australian cricket team player Mitchell Marsh at Delhi Gate police station. A complaint has been given demanding registration of a case. There has also been a demand to impose a lifetime ban on his match with India. He has written a letter to the Prime Minister and the Sports Minister for necessary action.
The report clearly states that a complaint has been registered. There is a difference between filing a complaint and filing an FIR. People are mistaking filing of complaint for filing of FIR. Hence, the claim that Aligarh Police has filed an FIR against Mitchell Marsh is fake.
Lastly, during investigation, we also came to know from Dainik Jagran’s report that there is a difference between complaint and FIR. Any civilian may file a complaint with the police. This provides the police with information about the crime. Additionally, complaints may be made orally or in writing. Generally any victim, witness, or other third party can file a complaint. On the other hand, a formal complaint report (FIR) is filed based on a complaint. When someone files a complaint with the police, the police formally file a FIR, for which official documents must be kept. This contains details on the complaint-maker, the defendant, and the offense. Only until the police file a formal complaint do they begin an additional investigation.
| Claim | An RTI activist from Uttar Pradesh has filed an FIR against Mitchell Marsh |
| Claimed by | X users and News media |
| Fact Check | Fake |
Also read: The Claim of Ricky Ponting Referring to BCCI as “Cricket Mafia” is Fake
