Calcutta, May 9: When Haseena Nasreen got up close and personal with Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday, little did she realise that some of her relatives would be up in arms against her.

Eighteen-year-old Shiuli, as her family calls her fondly, was in headlines after her daredevil sneak-in past security and bear hug to Indian cricket’s latest pin-up star.

While Shiuli was explaining to the media how big a fan she was of Mahi, relatives at her Sherpur village in Murshidabad had started making their displeasure known to Shiuli’s father.

According to them, what Shiuli had done did not befit a girl from a Muslim family.

Fortunately for the girl, her immediate family has stood by her. “We don’t think Shiuli has done anything wrong. Don’t look at her as only a girl or only a Muslim girl. She should be seen as a die-hard fan who could not control her emotions when she saw her favourite cricketer,” said Mehboob Rahman, her brother.

Moreover, he added: “She didn’t kiss him…. Some people are being unfair on her (by suggesting that she did so).”

Many outside her immediate family, including the headmaster of the school she went to, are unhappy with what she did. “She was not very bright in studies, but interested in sports. She never showed any signs that she could do something like this when she grows up,” said Wajid Ali, the headmaster of Sherpur High School, a co-education institution.

Shiuli studies English honours at Behrampore College now. Her father and brother are into business, which includes transport and stocks.

She had been going to Eden Gardens everyday during the Indian team’s conditioning camp for the Bangladesh tour with the hope of handing over to Dhoni a birthday card she was carrying. On the last day of the session, she had her dream-come-true moment.

Many relatives also did not like the family’s defence. “I don’t understand why they are defending her. She has done something wrong and the family should not support her,” said Dr Manirul Jamal, her eldest sister’s father-in-law.