The Jammu and Kashmir police on November 28 defended the move to book seven Kashmiri students under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans after India lost to Australia in the World Cup on November 19, saying “it was also about normalising an abnormal”. However, the students’ parents have appealed for a lenient view and immediate withdrawal of the First Information Report (FIR).
All the seven accused remain in the police remand till November 30 on the orders of a Ganderbal court. “We have pleaded before the court as well as the higher authorities that these students have secured admission on merit and worked hard for it. There have been no anti-national or anti-social cases against them in the past. Many are orphans and from poor financial backgrounds. These students do not deserve to be booked under a harsh law. They deserve a second chance,” advocate Shafeeq Bhat, pleading the cases of all the seven accused students, told The Hindu.
The parents, who have tendered a written apology to the Vice-Chancellor of the varsity on behalf of the students, said the police should take “a lenient view of the unfortunate incident”. “We request that the FIR be withdrawn immediately,” one of the parents said. “It will, otherwise, mar their careers,” he added.
