In a classic case of how social media is used to create a false narrative around India and alleged “religious intolerance” in the country, a close look at most handles that spewed hate towards Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami reveals that they belonged to users in Pakistan.

Shami was trolled and abused on social media after India lost to Pakistan by 10 wickets in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Without checking origins of these posts, certain section of Indian social media users, who await a chance to showcase their manufactured anger, began a coordinated campaign to highlight the hateful posts .

There were social media posts criticizing captain Virat Kohli and opener Rohit Sharma, too, but surprisingly what was highlighted was only the hate directed towards Shami. And, that too, without checking where the abuse was coming from.

A journalist even went to the extent of peddling the agenda in an international publication by writing a piece on the subject.

These users also pointed to the fact that there were firecrackers burst and celebrations held in certain parts of India for Pakistan’s win. A fact that was conveniently ignored by those trying to push their fake narratives.