Mumbai (Maharashtra): While terming the act of slapping over 50 people - who had participated in a queer pride gathering in Mumbai on February 1 - with sedition charges over raising slogans in support of JNU student Sharjeel Imam as "witch hunt" against the members of LGBTQIA community, R Ray, a trans woman law student of Delhi University, accused BJP of using the issue to malign the protest as a Hindu-Muslim issue.
"During the solidarity gathering, people read the Preamble, they also raised multiple slogans including those against CAA, and NRC, in honour of Rohit Vemulla and Sharjeel Imam, as well. That particular slogan of people at the gathering raising slogans in favour of Sharjeel Imam was edited and circulated in right wing groups, and picked up by right wing people on social media," Ray told ETV Bharat.
The law student further said, "Ex-BJP MP Kirit Somaiya and former chief minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis shared the video thereby amplifying the narrative of vilification with direct appeals to the Mumbai Police to act on the same."
"They are launching a witch hunt against LGBTQIA," added Ray.
Elaborating on the police action, Ray said, "Taking note of the complaints by BJP leaders, the Azad Maidan police filed charges including that of sedition against Kris Chudawala and 50 others unnamed people alleged to have taken part in the said sloganeering."
Invoking the "chronology" reference made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Ray said, "The chronology is such that the BJP is using the issue to circumvent the model code of conduct in place in Delhi...to present these protests as a Hindu-Muslim issue."
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Meanwhile, LABIA - A Queer Feminist LBT Collective, expressed solidarity with the 51 persons who were charged with sedition and demanded that the charges against them be dropped immediately as it is "baseless" and "unconstitutional".
Citing the slogan that the BJP leaders took offence of, Ray said, "The sedition charges are baseless as people simply said - Sharjeel Imam hum aapke sapnon ko manzil tak pahunchayenge (we will convert your dreams into reality)- this does not incite violence of any kind for the authorities to charge them with sedition."
Sharjeel Imam was arrested from Bihar on January 28 after being slapped with sedition charges over a video of his purported speech which went viral on social media where he was heard speaking about "cutting off" Assam and the northeast from the rest of India.
