By Maktoob
Bengaluru City Police have registered a suo motu FIR against a woman protester for displaying posters expressing solidarity with jailed anti-CAA activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam during a protest against the NEET question paper leak at Freedom Park on July 24.
According to the FIR, the woman allegedly displayed posters reading “Umar Khalid Zindabad” and “Sharjeel Imam Zindabad”. Both Khalid and Imam are undertrial prisoners booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the 2020 North-East Delhi violence case.
Police alleged that the slogans were capable of provoking the public and disturbing communal harmony and public order. The FIR invokes Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deals with wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot.
The registration of the case has sparked criticism on social media.
Senior journalist Samar Halarnkar criticised the action, saying: “The posters said, ‘Umar Khalid zindabad’ and ‘Sharjeel Imam Zindabad’. Even though Congress runs the state, the police feel it is alright to take action because the men mentioned in the posters are Muslim.”
Aratrika, Bengaluru General Secretary of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), which organised the Freedom Park protest, termed the FIR “baseless” and demanded that it be withdrawn.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com.
