Bengaluru: Woman arrested, charged with sedition for pro-Pakistan slogan

A young woman, identified as Amulya, was whisked away from the dais on Thursday, for shouting "Pakistan zindabad" at an anti-CAA rally in Bengaluru, police said.

Amulya was arrested on Thursday after the event. A sedition case has been filed against her. "We have filed a suo moto case against her under sections 124A(sedition), 153A and B (promoting enmity between different groups) and imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration)," senior police officer B Ramesh said.

"Amulya, a student activist, was taken off the dais and detained for shouting 'Pakistan zindabad' at the rally in Freedom Park in the presence of AIMIM President Asauddin Owaisi and leaders of different faiths," a police official said.

The sudden incident occurred when Amulya was called on the dais to address the gathering in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) under the banner of "Save Our Constitution".

"When Owaisi and others tried to stop Amulya from shouting the pro-Pakistan slogan, she started chanting 'Hindustan zindabad'. Our personnel who were at the rally for providing security, took her off the dais to control the situation even as she insisted on speaking," the police officer recalled.

Owaisi, President of the All-India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and its 4-time Lok Sabha member from the Hyderabad constituency, condemned the activist for taking liberty to shout pro-Pakistan slogan and told the organisers to stop her from speaking.

"When Amulya resisted the organisers from addressing the gathering, our policewomen had to forcibly escort from the stage and detain her in a corner," the police official added.

Regretting the incident and denouncing the activist, Owaisi said in Hindi-Urdu that he and his party was against such slogans as they are for India and proud of being Indians.

"We do not agree with the activist shouting such slogans. The organisers should not have invited her to the rally. If I knew this, I would not have come and we don't have any link with her. We are for India and don't support our enemy nation Pakistan. Our drive is to save India and our Constitution," asserted Owaisi.

with IANS inp