IOK police slap sedition case against three Kashmiri students

HUBLI, India: The City police here on Saturday arrested three Kashmiri students hailing from Shopian district in Jammu & Kashmir, and studying at the KLES Institute of Technology, situated near airport on Gokul Road in the City, and filed sedition case against them, along with a case of disturbing communal harmony, for shouting pro-Pakistan slogans.

The accused students have been identified as Ameer, Basit, and Talib. They are studying in the 1st semester of Civil Engineering.

A programme was organised in the college to remember the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers in the Pulvama attack, on February 14. But, these three students, who stayed back in the hostel, made a video in which they shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad', and ' 'Azadi' slogans. They had uploaded the video to WhatsApp groups of their friends. The video had become viral on the social media.

College Principal Basavaraj Anami, who came to know about the video, immediately summoned the students to his chamber for enquiry on Saturday. At the same time, members of Bajarang Dal also arrived at the college, staged a protest against the Kashmiri students. Some of the protestors even barged into the principal's chamber and expressed their ire against the accused students for their pro-Pakistan slogans.

The principal, who sensed that the situation was going out of control, informed the police. The police, who arrived at the college, wanted to take the accused students to the police station safely. But, the Bajarang Dal workers opposed the police's decision and questioned why the 'traitors' were being given protection. They shouted slogans against the police and one of the accused students was also manhandled by the protestors.

Reacting to the incident, principal Basavaraj Anami said: "The Kashmiri students have taken admission into the college under the government quota. After seeing the video, the college has filed a case with the police. The accused students have already been suspended from the college. They have been handed over to the police for further action," he said.

Police Commissioner R Dileep said, sedition charges had been filed against the students, and the case was being investigated. A thorough probe would be conducted to know who were the students, who were behind them, and why they had shouted the pro- Pakistan slogans.

Meanwhile, coming down heavily on the incident wherein engineering students from Kashmir raising pro-Pakistan slogans during the first anniversary of Pulwama attack, Large & Medium Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar stated in Dharwad on Saturday that the government will not tolerate any anti-national activities. Already, the police have visited the collage and are inquiring the accused students, and the college staff. Based on the inquiry report, the police will take further action.

However, Shettar said that such incidents are not good for the progress of the country. Hubballi-Dharwad is peace loving twin-city and such incident weaken the social fabric.