Former Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan has issued an apology after receiving death threats from a fundamentalist on Facebook for participating in a Kali puja inauguration in Kolkata.

“As a proud Muslim, I seek apology from you all if I have hurt your sentiments,” Shakib said in a video shared on social media.

The ace all-rounder was at a Kali Puja pandal last week in east Kolkata’s Kakurgachi area.

Subsequently, an extremist from Bangladesh issued a death threat to Shakib, accusing the cricketer of blasphemy.

The youth identified as Mohsin Talukdar from Sylhet has been arrested.

Reacting to the allegation, Shakib said he did not inaugurate the puja, but only took part in the programme that followed.

“If you see the invitation card of the puja, you will know that I was not called for invitation. It was inaugurated before my arrival by Mr Firhad Hakim, a minister from West Bengal,” he clarified.

While addressing the fans on stage, Shakib said that the organisers asked him for a photo opportunity inside the pandal, which he obliged.

“Kolkata is like my home, I never miss an opportunity to visit here. We should all pray that relations between people from both the sides stays strong forever,” he said.

“There was no intention to show my own religion in poor light. Neither was religion discussed at the event when I was on dais. I believe Islam is a religion of peace. I always try to follow every custom of Islam. Yes, we do make mistakes but I try to learn from them in order to become a better Muslim,” the cricketer was heard saying in his video message.

“I just want to say, let’s not do something which may divide our society. As long as we are united, we shall be powerful. We Muslims shall always remain united,” he added.