“This was a game and supporting any team is an individual’s choice. What happened to us is really, really wrong,” he told Al Jazeera.

 

“It happens with us in [New} Delhi and everywhere else. As a Kashmiri student, I feel unsafe in India.”

 

“But it was suicidal to do so in Punjab,” said Nasir Khuehami, the national spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association, referring to Kashmiris celebrating Pakistan’s win.

 

“They are a minority in mainland India and the celebrations were stupid. Knowing that your life is in danger, it wasn’t a wise step.”

 

Kashmir is claimed by India and Pakistan, which rule over parts of it. The Indian side of the Himalayan territory has been witnessing an armed rebellion for decades, with many residents supporting a merger of the region with Muslim-majority Pakistan.

 

Khuehami said at least 14 Kashmiri students were attacked across India following the match, with seven of them sustaining serious injuries.

 

He said he spent the rest of Sunday night responding to calls of distress from Kashmiri students, despite the police saying they had not heard of any such attacks on Kashmiris.