3 Students, Nabbed for 'Pro Pak’ Posts After T20, Attacked Outside Agra Court

Videos circulated on social media on Thursday, 28 October, showed that a number of lawyers heckled three Kashmiri students, who had previously been arrested in Agra over 'anti-national' sloganeering after the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match.

(Photo: Video Screengrab/Accessed by The Quint)

Video Producer: Shohini Bose

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam, Kanishk Dangi

Videos circulated on social media on Thursday, 28 October, showed a number of lawyers heckling three Kashmiri students, who had previously been arrested in Agra over 'anti-national' sloganeering after the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match.

The three students, who had been presented in the court on Thursday, were attacked at the civil court in Agra, as they were being escorted from the court premises into a police van by several police personnel.

The hecklers can be heard chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Pakistan Murdabad' as they try to break past the police and beat the youths.

The three students were also booked for sedition, and remanded to 14-day judicial custody on Thursday.

What Had Happened

Three Kashmiri students of Agra's Raja Balwant Singh Management Technical Campus college were arrested on Tuesday, 27 October, for allegedly posting stories on social media "in favor of Pakistan" after the country's 10-wicket win over India in the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

"Three students of RBS college – Inayat Altaf Shaikh, Showkat Ahmad Gani, and Arshad Yusuf raised anti-national slogans of 'Bharat Tere Tukde Honge', Pakistan Zindabad, and put up anti-India slogans on social media through their WhatsApp status. These people are trying to stir tension, which might spoil the atmosphere of the country."

The FIR against the students

The youths have been booked under the following sections of the Indian Penal Code:

• 153A: Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony

• 505 (1) (B): Making, publishing, or circulating any statement, rumour, or report with intent to cause fear or alarm in the public

• 124A: sedition

The students have also been charged with 66F of the Information Technology Act (punishment for cyber terrorism).

'Crackdown on Kashmiri Students Rephrensible': Mehbooba Mufti Demands Students' Release

Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday demanded the release of the arrested students.

"Crackdown on Kashmiri students both within J&K & outside is reprehensible. Situation in J&K after two years of suppression should've been an eye opener for GOI & lead to course correction. BJP's pseudo patriotism disregards the idea of India. Release these students immediately," she said in a tweet.

"Why such anger against Kashmiris for celebrating Pak’s win? Some are even chanting murderous slogans- desh ke gadaaron ko goli maaro/calling to shoot traitors. One hasnt forgotten how many celebrated by distributing sweets when J&K was dismembered & stripped of special status," Mufti had tweeted earlier.

J&K Students Association Demands Withdrawal of Case

J&K Students Association, in a statement issued on Thursday, urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to drop the sedition charges against the three Kashmiri students, terming the case as a "harsh punishment".

The national spokesperson of the association, Nasir Khuehami, demanded that the college authorities revoke their suspension of the students.

The students' association further urged the Uttar Pradesh government to punish those involved in the assault on Kashmiri students, and heighten the security arrangements for students from the Valley.