Opposition Political Parties Silent Over AMU Sedition Incident

NEW DELHI: 14 Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students who were charged with sedition on Tuesday by Uttar Pradesh Police that has subsequently found no evidence, have received no support from political parties in the opposition. Among the prominent political leaders of opposition, it was just Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supreme Mayawati and Mehbooba Mufti from Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (J&K PDP) who came out in the support of students and criticised the action taken by Uttar Pradesh police.

Mayawati who recently joined Twitter, made a statement on social media platform saying, “Congress govt in MP like BJP slapped atrocious NSA against Muslims for cow slaughter. Now the UP BJP govt booked 14 AMU students under notorious sedition charges. Both are example of state terror & condemnable. People should decide what is difference between the Cong & BJP govt?”

PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti in a statement said, “Slapping sedition laws against AMU students for arguing with Republic TV crew is ridiculous. The law can be invoked only when any individual tries to excite dissatisfaction towards GoI. Since when did R tv start representing the Govt?” Criticising UP Police actions, she further questioned:-

1) Was UP police in collusion with media persons who created a ruckus in AMU?

2) From JNU to AMU, why are students being targeted? Is it because they are educated enough not to fall for divisive politics?

Manoj Jha from Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) said, “Together with the regressive right-wing government at the centre, certain media houses are out to denigrate and demonize some of our best universities. What happened in AMU yesterday was 'ugly' replay of drama enacted in JNU in 2016.”

On Tuesday, fourteen students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were booked on sedition charges.

The Uttar Pradesh police charged 14 students of AMU with sedition after a local BJP Yuva Morcha leader Mukesh Lodhi alleged in a police complaint that AMU students had indulged in violence and shouted anti-India slogans ('Pakistan Zindabad') outside the main gate of the institution the previous day.

On the same day, university officials and students had entered into a heated argument with the crew of Republic TV - a private television channel, when the channel tried to shoot a segment inside the campus allegedly in violation of institution regulations on Tuesday. According to the president of students union Salman Imtiaz the media team started asking, "offensive and provocative questions from the crowd and kept filming despite efforts by students who tried to dissuade them."

AMU students have accused the media persons of trying to shoot inside the campus without obtaining requisite permissions, and misbehaving with campus security personnel and university officials upon being advised against doing so.

The Republic TV crew has filed a separate complaint with the police, alleging that they were assaulted and threatened by AMU students before being thrown out of the campus.