On November 19th, during the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup final in India, Australia triumphed over India. After this win, a photo of Australian team member Mitchell Marsh, showing him seated with his foot on the World Cup trophy, went viral on social media. In response, Pandit Keshav, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, India, allegedly filed a complaint or FIR (First Information Report) against Marsh at a local police station, deeming the act disrespectful to Indians. This incident was widely reported in the media, with some outlets asserting that Pandit Keshav had indeed filed a legal case against Marsh.
Several outlets, including ETV Bharat (India), The Financial Express (Bangladesh), BDCricTime (Bangladesh), Risingbd (Bangladesh), Samaa Tv (Pakistan), Sportskeeda (India), Free Press Journal (India), Mint (India), OpIndia (India)), reporting on the alleged FIR against Marsh.
Some viral Facebook posts with this claim can be found here (archive), here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive)
Some viral X posts with this claim can be found here (archive), here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive).
Fact Check
An investigation conducted by the Rumor Scanner team indicates that the reports of a legal case or FIR being filed against Mitchell Marsh in India are not accurate. Although an individual’s complaint received media attention, the police confirmed that this complaint was not officially acted upon.
This investigation began with a X post from November 24th by Piyush Rai, a journalist at The Quint in India. Rai’s tweet highlighted that Pandit Keshav Dev, the national president of the Bhrashtachar Virodhi Sena organization, had submitted a complaint against Marsh to the Delhi Gate Police Station in Aligarh. Ray also attached a photo of the complaint.
In conversation with Pandit Keshav Dev, he informed Rumor Scanner that he lodged the complaint on November 21st and provided a photograph from that day. Referring to a local newspaper, he mentioned that Inspector Narendra Sharma had stated that the issue would be investigated by the cyber cell.
Mr. Keshav also conveyed that he had sent a copy of his complaint to both the Prime Minister and the Sports Minister of India, sharing a copy with the Rumor Scanner team as well.
Contrarily, the Aligarh police have stated that they have not processed any complaint, case, or FIR against Marsh. Additional Police Superintendent Mrigank Shekhar Pathak, in a video message, confirmed that no such complaint or FIR has been registered in any station in Aligarh.
Ankita Deshkar, a fact-checker with The Indian Express, was consulted regarding the definitions of FIRs and complaints in India. She clarified that an FIR can only be lodged when the complainant is fully confident about their claim, enabling them to seek an investigation. While anyone can file a complaint and withdraw it later, an FIR, once registered, cannot be revoked.
Bottom Line
Following Australia’s win in the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup final against India, a controversial photo of Mitchell Marsh became the subject of online debate, leading to allegations of disrespect towards Indians. It was reported that an Indian individual, Pandit Keshav, had filed an FIR or a legal case against Marsh. However, the Rumor Scanner team’s investigation revealed that it was merely a complaint, which was not pursued by the police. The Aligarh police have verified that no legal action or FIR has been filed against Marsh.
Hence, the widespread media reports claiming that legal action or an FIR was filed against Mitchell Marsh in India are misleading
