Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir Students Association Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to drop ‘Sedition’ and FIR against three Kashmiri students and revoke their suspension.
National Spokesperson of Association said that three Kashmiri students pursuing civil Engineering in Raja Balwant Singh Engineering Technical College Agra, Uttar Pradesh have been suspended by college authorities and were later booked under Sedition Charges and FIR by Agra Police (Uttar Pradesh) for uploading WhatsApp status in favour of Pakistan after India Pakistan T20 Cricket match.
He said that action against the Kashmiri students is totally arbitrary and unwarranted. It may be offensive but not illegal in any way. If they wrote any provocative thing on social media which hurt sentiments of people, that is wrong and unjustified, but college authorities already clarified that they uploaded WhatsApp congratulatory messages but didn’t shout any objectionable and controversial slogans.
He said that, however, Sedition and FIR are very harsh punishment for the act they did and it will ruin their careers and will further alienate them. These harsh charges on WhatsApp will have serious consequences on the academic and future career of the students. It may have serious repercussions, psyco-somatic consequences on the students both in the long term and short term. Slapping Sedition on them will put their career and whole parents resources at stake, khuehami emphasized.
Khuehami said that mere Whatsapp status might have hurted sentiment of people, but we need to reach out to them and counsel them rather than react with harsh decisions. No doubt they made this mistake, but we hope that they will be given a chance to return to studies and their future should not be destroyed in the larger interest of the country. The students who go to other states of the country do so for serious studies and not just to pass time there. They have nothing to do with politics.
National General Secretary of Association Younus Rashid said that, Govt should give Chance to the Students to restore their faith in the ethical standing and the fair constitution of India, so that their futures are preserved. Reconciliation with the students is the only way to further the cause of engaging with the students of Jammu and Kashmir. Government should give amnesty to the students who have posted objectionable comments. You need to Build trust and win the hearts of Students, talk to them and Gain their trust and confidence, he added.
Rashid requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate steps to resolve the issue on humanitarian grounds and take immediate steps and to revoke Sedition Charges and FIR against them, so that their future are preserved. (KDC)
