Two students from Kerala’s Malappuram were arrested on Thursday for allegedly putting up posters inside a college campus seeking sovereignty for Kashmir and Manipur, Mathrubhumi reported. The Kerala Police has booked the two students of Malappuram Government College under charges of sedition.
At least seven students from the college have been reportedly booked in the matter so far, while two have been arrested.
Rinshad Rerra and Faris, who study BCom at the college, were allegedly part of a students’ organisation called Radical Students Forum. Classmates of the arrested students claimed that they were protesting against the alleged harassment of Kashmiri students in several states and were campaigning against the Sangh Parivar.
However, Malappuram Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaleel Thottathil told The News Minute that the students had stuck posters that read “Liberation for Kashmir”, “Liberation for Manipur” and “Liberation for Palestine”. “It was following this that we received a complaint and registered a case against them,” Thottathil told the news website. “We wouldn’t book them for speaking against the Sangh Parivar.”
The students have been booked under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code.
Several Kashmiri students were reportedly harassed and beaten up in the Dehradun following the terror attack in South Kashmir in which 40 security personnel were killed. Since then, many Kashmiri students in Uttarakhand have temporarily left the state. Nearly 300 Kashmiri students have fled to Jammu and Delhi from colleges in Uttarakhand after large-scale eviction from their campuses. The central government, however, had said there was no such harassment of Kashmiri students.
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!