SRINAGAR: J&K Police said on Tuesday that the arrest of seven veterinary students in Srinagar for allegedly celebrating India’s defeat in the ICC World Cup final had more to do with them trying to “intimidate those who disagree with them” than their “pro-Pakistan sloganeering”.
The seven students from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science & Technology were arrested on the basis of a complaint and charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
“It is not merely about raising pro-Pakistan slogans…It is also about normalising the abnormal: that everyone hates India (distinct from the government of the day and party in power) openly,” the police said.
“This abnormal and false thing is practiced mostly on the back of separatist and terrorist networks. In other words, the aim is not (about) airing the personal preference of a particular sporting team. It is not about dissent or freedom of expression. It is about terrorising others who may be nourishing pro-India feelings or anti-Pakistan feelings or disagreeing.”
On the UAPA being invoked, the police said Section 13 of the legislation was about inciting, advocating and encouraging separatist ideology. “It is not about planning, aiding and executing actual terror acts. It classifies such actions as unlawful. In contrast to other provisions of the Act, it is a softer provision.”
The police have also slapped sections 505 (mischief in public) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC on the arrested students.
The seven students from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science & Technology were arrested on the basis of a complaint and charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
“It is not merely about raising pro-Pakistan slogans…It is also about normalising the abnormal: that everyone hates India (distinct from the government of the day and party in power) openly,” the police said.
“This abnormal and false thing is practiced mostly on the back of separatist and terrorist networks. In other words, the aim is not (about) airing the personal preference of a particular sporting team. It is not about dissent or freedom of expression. It is about terrorising others who may be nourishing pro-India feelings or anti-Pakistan feelings or disagreeing.”
On the UAPA being invoked, the police said Section 13 of the legislation was about inciting, advocating and encouraging separatist ideology. “It is not about planning, aiding and executing actual terror acts. It classifies such actions as unlawful. In contrast to other provisions of the Act, it is a softer provision.”
The police have also slapped sections 505 (mischief in public) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC on the arrested students.