Human rights body questions continued detention of Kashmiri students in sedition case

Rihaai Manch, a human rights organisation in Agra has questioned the continued detention of three Kashmiri students arrested in October for allegedly celebrating Pakistan cricket team's win over India in the T20 World Cup in Dubai.

Lucknow (UP):A Lucknow-based human rights organisation has questioned the continued detention of three Kashmiri students arrested in October for allegedly celebrating Pakistan cricket team's win over India in the T20 World Cup in Dubai.

Rihaai Manchsaid the continued detention of the students was "illegal and unconstitutional".

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Mohammad Shoaib, president Rihaai Manchsaid that if the players of any country play well and their game is appreciated by anyone, the person "cannot be accused of treason".

"If India plays well then of course it should be praised and if another country performs well in the game then there is no problem in praising it," he said.

The three students – Arsheed Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Ganai – enrolled at the Raja Balwant Singh (RBS) Engineering College in Agra were arrested on October 27 for allegedly celebrating the Pakistan victory in the match against India.

They were booked under Sections 124 A (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505 (1) (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66-F (cyber-terrorism) of the Information Technology Act for allegedly sending WhatsApp messages “against the country”.

The three continue to languish in Agra district jail.

Shoaib of Rihaai Manch said any person has a right to hire a lawyer of his choice.

"Under CRPC 303, if he does not have enough money to hire a lawyer, it is the responsibility of the Indian government to provide him with a lawyer. Therefore, if the lawyers of Agra have announced a boycott of pursuing this case, then it is the moral duty of the government to arrange a lawyer for these three students of Kashmir," he said.

Lawyers in Agra had refused to represent the three. Their families finally approached a Mathura-based lawyer Madhuvan Dutt who agreed to represent the accused.

On December 25, Dutt filed a petition to seek a transfer of the cases against the three from Agra to Mathura even as their bail plea is pending before the Allahabad High Court.

Police have sought permission from the administration to file a chargesheet against the three students.