Medical students, Staff booked under UAPA for celebrating Pakistan’s win against India
Medical students, Staff booked under UAPA for celebrating Pakistan’s win against India
Srinagar, Oct 27 : Students in Kashmir’s Srinagar colleges who celebrated Pakistan’s victory against India in T20 World Cup on Sunday are booked under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Two separate cases are registered in two separate incidents, one at the hostel of SKIMS hospital in Soura and another at the hostel in Government Medical College (GMC) in Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
Students pursuing MBBS and other degrees residing in the hostel raised slogans, including ‘azadi’ slogans and burst crackers while celebrating India’s loss to Pakistan. The FIR is still open and the accused are yet to be identified.
Further, reports say that the students will also be barred from selection in government jobs.
Kashmir Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar confirmed that they have filed a first information report against the medical students.
The FIR also includes charges under Section 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to police sources, no one has been named in the two FIRs and the accused are yet to be identified.
The police will rely on mobile phone videos and CCTV footage from the premises of the hostels to identify the accused.
“ There are videos that have surfaced in which people are dancing, bursting crackers and celebrating Pakistan’s victory and raising anti-India slogans, and hurting sentiments. We have registered two cases and have initiated the probe.
The accused will be identified and named in the due course as investigation progresses” the source said.
After India’s loss to Pakistan, videos went viral on social media where purported students in these colleges were found celebrating, cheering and dancing joyfully.
Meanwhile, PDP (People’s Democratic Party) chief Mehbooba Mufti questioned what was wrong in Kashmiris celebrating India’s loss to Pakistan after all.
She even invoked the abrogation of Article 370 which removed the special status to erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir and removed riders attached to it as part of Union of India.
Sajad Lone, J&K Peoples Conference leader, said punitive action should not be taken against students.
" I strongly disagree. If you think that they r not patriotic enough because they cheered for another team- u should have the courage and the belief to wean them back if u think they have gone patriotically astray. Punitive actions won't help. Have not helped in the past either (sic)," he tweeted.
