A Gandhinagar court in Gujarat has granted bail to an Australian, identified as Wen Johnson who was apprehended for breaching security protocols and entering the pitch during the ICC World Cup cricket final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Johnson, wearing a pro-Palestine T-shirt, managed to reach the pitch during the final match against Australia on Sunday, where Virat Kohli was batting.
The court had initially remanded him in police custody for a day before releasing him on bail with the condition that he cooperates in the ongoing investigation and deposits his passport with the court, as per a senior city crime branch official.
The accused faced charges of criminal trespass and causing hurt to deter public servants from performing their duties.
The city crime branch took over the investigation on Monday, transferring Johnson’s custody from the police. During the court appearance in Gandhinagar on Tuesday evening, the decision to release him on bail was made.
According to the FIR, Johnson entered the stadium as an ordinary spectator and, in a bid to embrace Virat Kohli, jumped the railing and ran towards the pitch, pushing aside policemen. He was swiftly apprehended by security personnel. Johnson, stating that he is a fervent Virat Kohli fan, explained to the police that his motive for entering the ground was to express his admiration for the cricketer.
Wen Johnson, donning a face mask adorned with the design of a Palestine flag, wore a T-shirt displaying slogans such as ‘Stop bombing Palestine’ on the front and ‘Save Palestine’ on the back.
A preliminary investigation has disclosed that Johnson has a history of invading sports fields and has previously faced charges for such offenses in his home country.
