Kashmiri Students At AMU Booked For ‘Pro-Pakistan Post’
by Press Trust of India
Srinagar: Police in Uttar Pradesh state has booked two Kashmiri students of the Aligarh Muslim University under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly posting pro-Pakistan and anti-India messages on social media.
The two Kashmiri students Saqib Rasool Bhat and Sheikh Arafat were booked by UP police on the basis of a complaint lodged by a Hindu right-wing leader Deepak Sharma Aazad claiming that the two students had posted ‘inappropriate’ content on social media expressing their love for the “enemy nation”, reports said. The complainant had further alleged that the two were propagating Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan and desired to celebrate Eid in accordance with Pakistan.
On the basis of the complaint, police station Atrauli filed a case against them under sections 53-A, 153- B, 66-D IT Act of the Indian Penal Code, The Times of India reported on Friday.
The report quoted University spokesperson Shafey Kidwai saying that strict action will be taken against the two students.
In his Facebook post, Bhat had written that “Eid means happiness and happiness is Pak,”. Replying to his post, Arafat had written “Pakistan hamara hai, hum Pakistani hai.”
This is not the first time any Kashmiri student has been booked by police on the complaint of right-wing activists.
In February this year, at least 22 Kashmiri students of AMU were booked by police for instigating and participating in anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the Aligarh city, Hindustan Times had reported.
A year earlier in 2019, another AMU student Basim Hilal, a native of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district was slapped under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (promoting enmity) & Section 67A of the Information Technology Act over his Facebook post on Pulwama attack. He was also suspended by the AMU authorities.