Sedition Case Against former JNU leader Shehla Rashid
NEW DELHI : Former JNU Student leader Shehla Rashid has been booked for sedition over her comments about alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
A case under the sedition law was filed against activist Shehla Rashid earlier this week for her tweets in which she had claimed that the armed forces were “entering houses” in Jammu and Kashmir and “picking up boys”. The case was filed on the complaint of a Supreme Court lawyer.
Sedition over her comments about alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. Special cell of the Delhi Police has lodged a case against Shehla Rashid for her remarks on the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The FIR against Shehla Rashid has been registered under Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intention to cause riot), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 505 (spreading rumours) of the Indian Penal Code for her remarks on the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a series of tweets, Shehla Rashid had claimed that the Indian Army was indiscriminately picking up men, raiding houses and torturing people in Jammu and Kashmir. Shehla Rashid had claimed that human rights abuses were being carried out in Kashmir to serve the agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The allegations had drawn sharp reactions. Shehla Rashid, however, had said she was ready to give the evidence when the Indian Army constitutes an inquiry. Shehla Rashid had accused the Indian Army of human rights abuses amid a clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370.
People are saying that Jammu and Kashmir Police has no authority on law and order situation. They have been rendered powerless. Everything is in the hands of paramilitary forces. One SHO was transferred on the complaint of a CRPF man. SHOs carrying batons. Service revolvers can’t be seen on them,” Shehla Rashid had tweeted.
In another post, she wrote, “Armed forces are entering houses at night, picking up boys, ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on the floor, mixing oil with rice, etc.”
The centre had detained several Kashmir politicians, including former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, and suspended the telecom services before announcing its decision.
The top official of the state administration, Rohit Kansal, said earlier this week that over 90 per cent of the Kashmir valley was free of daytime restrictions. 76 of 95 telephone exchanges were operational, he informed.
In his complaint, the lawyer had said Ms Rashid’s allegations were baseless as she had not produced any “voice recording” of the alleged torture or date and time of the incidents. He also accused Ms Rashid of “deliberately spreading fake news with the intention to incite violence in the country” and maligning the image of the Indian Army, news agency PTI reported.
In her tweets last month, Ms Rashid had also claimed that four men were called into the Army camp and were interrogated and tortured. After her remarks triggered a controversy, she had issued a clarification that her tweets were based on conversations with people of the state.
“All of my tweets are based on conversations with people. My thread highlights the positive work of the administration too. Let the Army conduct a fair and impartial probe and I’m willing to share the details of the incidents mentioned with them,” she had said. The case has been transferred to the Delhi Police special cell for investigation.
(With inputs from Agencies).
