Congress party leaders charged with sedition for chanting pro-Pakistan slogans
Indian police on Sunday booked leaders and workers of the Congress party on sedition charges for allegedly chanting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans during a protest rally against Uri attack, The Indian Express reported.
The protesters led by district and city unit presidents Arun Pratap Singh and Yaseen Qureshi in the city of Moradabad, took to the roads Saturday to protest against the militant attack in India-held Kashmir which killed 18 Indian soldiers.
Local police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) Indian Penal Code Section 124-A after it was informed about the ‘anti-national’ slogans.
The police also acquired video evidence of the rally, which the Congress leaders claim to be doctored.
The leaders of the political party have stated that they too have a recording of the rally, and they can prove the video evidence available with the police is doctored.
Read: Uri attack an inside job, says Khawaja Asif
“We found ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ was chanted (after studying the footage), and an FIR was lodged under IPC Section 124-A (sedition),” said Dhruv Kumar, Station Officer, Thakurdwara.
Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government of India shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine. — Indian Penal Code Section 124-A
Sub-Inspector Amit Sharma of Thakurdwara police station, who filed the complaint, said, “We are trying to identify the people seen shouting the slogan.”
Moradabad SSP Nitin Tiwari said action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.
Congress district president Singh said, “There were nearly 2,000 people in the rally and no one raised any anti-national slogan or shouted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.
He added that the video the police are accusing them with is doctored and the FIR was lodged under pressure from the local Samajwadi Party MLA Nawab Jaan.
Anti-Pakistan rhetoric in India has reached fever pitch following the attack on an Indian army base in India-held Kashmir. The attack happened at a time when the valley was roiling from some of the worst protests in recent years.