Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday directed the state police to file sedition charges against those celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India in the recent T20 World Cup match.
India lost to Pakistan by 10 wickets in the match held on Sunday evening in Dubai.
The Uttar Pradesh Police have already invoked sedition charges against seven people, News18 reported. However, the police have not confirmed this.
In a tweet on Thursday, Adityanath’s office posted a photo of a newspaper report along with the chief minister’s comments.
According to the report tweeted by Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh Police have registered cases against seven people for celebrating Pakistan’s victory in the match. The accused will now be charged with sedition too, the report said.
The police have filed complaints against three people in Agra district, two in Bareilly and one each in Badayun and Sitapur.
In Agra, the police booked three Kashmiri students – Arsheed Yousuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Ganai – for allegedly shouting pro-Pakistan slogans after the match. The authorities of the Raja Balwant Singh Engineering College also said that the students had posted comments in favour of Pakistan on social media.
In Badayun district, the Faizganj Behta Police have arrested a person named Niyaz for a Facebook post in support of Pakistan, the report shared by Adityanath said.
In Bareilly and Sitapur districts too, the police have arrested people for social media posts.
Kashmiri students booked under UAPA
Following Sunday’s match, the Jammu and Kashmir Police also booked students and staff at two medical colleges in Srinagar for celebrating Pakistan’s victory. They face charges under the Unlawful (Activities) Prevention Act, an anti-terror law, for allegedly “crying and dancing” while cheering for Pakistan.
Violence was reported against Kashmiri students in Punjab. India’s only Muslim player, the bowler Mohammed Shami, was also abused online.
In Rajasthan, the police on Wednesday arrested a private school teacher for sharing a celebratory post on WhatsApp after Pakistan’s victory. Nafeesa Attari was a teacher at the Neerja Modi School in Udaipur. The school terminated her after the management saw her post.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!