On Tuesday, a court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, granted bail to an Australian individual, Wen Johnson, who was arrested for intruding on the pitch during the ICC World Cup cricket final while wearing a pro-Palestine T-shirt. The day before, Wen Johnson had been remanded in police custody for a day by the court. During the court appearance on Tuesday, he was released on bail with conditions that he must cooperate in the investigation and surrender his passport to the court, according to a senior city crime branch official.
Wen Johnson had managed to evade security and reach the pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad while Virat Kohli was at the crease during the final game against Australia on Sunday afternoon. Security personnel promptly apprehended him.
Johnson faced charges of criminal trespass and causing harm to deter public servants from performing their duties. The city crime branch took over the investigation on Monday and sought Johnson’s remand for further inquiry.
According to the FIR, Johnson entered the stadium as a regular spectator, jumped the railing, and ran towards the pitch, pushing aside policemen in an attempt to hug Kohli. Johnson, stating he is a big fan of Virat Kohli, explained to the police that he entered the ground. He was wearing a face mask with the design of a Palestine flag and a T-shirt with the slogans ‘Stop bombing Palestine’ and ‘Save Palestine’ on the front and back, respectively. A preliminary investigation revealed that Johnson is a habitual offender and has been booked in his country for invading sports fields in the past.
