In Agra, three Kashmiri students were arrested by the police after a local BJP activist filed a complaint accusing them of raising anti-India slogans post the India-Pakistan cricket match on October 24. When they were brought to the court in Agra, right-wing activists and local lawyers roughed them up inside the court premises. It was declared that no lawyer of the bar association will plead their case. Unfortunately, efforts were made to use the three Kashmiri students as scapegoats for larger political gains, considering that the high-stake UP assembly election is round the corner.
Booking these Kashmiri students under the stringent sedition law over their WhatsApp status is arbitrary and unwarranted. College authorities have made it clear that the trio had only uploaded congratulatory WhatsApp status. But right-wing activists accused the students of raising provocative slogans, which the college authorities have since termed as baseless. The police, paying no heed to “facts” and the official version of the college, went ahead and booked the three students under the sedition charges.
A former Supreme Court judge, Deepak Gupta recently remarked that cheering for any team or player is not sedition and it’s ridiculous to think it is so. It may be offensive but it is not illegal in any way. He said that there is no place for sedition in a civilised democracy. In a country that houses the biggest temple of democracy, support for a particular team should never be tagged to someone’s political opinion. Every sport is in its inherent capacity neutral and devoid of political inclination. It was a display of sportsmanship by Indian captain Virat Kohli when he reached out to his Pakistani counterpart Babar Azam and hugged him. By giving credit to his opponent and standing by his teammate Mohammed Shami, Kohli taught us an important aspect of sports.
Despite all these messages, Kashmiri students were attacked and roughed up at a few colleges in India after the World T20 match. The message is clear: Sport is no more sport but a means to enforce nationalism. All three families whose sons were arrested belong to marginalised communities and do not have the resources to travel to Agra. Two families even find it hard to meet their daily expenses. One of the students is an orphan. He could pursue studies only because of the PMSSS scholarship.
When the Agra lawyers’ association declined to provide legal help to Kashmiri students, we moved to other places to plead their case. Delhi-based lawyer and activist Tamanna Pankaj called us and assured us help through the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR). Later, Madhuvan Chaturvedi agreed to defend the students in court.
Twelve students were reportedly assaulted in BGIET Sangrur, Punjab and four students in Mohali after the India-Pakistan T20. Dozens of students allegedly barged into their hostel rooms and thrashed them. In Chikkaballapur, Karnataka, members of the Congress student wing, NSUI, filed a complaint against Kashmiri students for posting a congratulatory message after the India-Pakistan match.
Slapping students with UAPA charges is harsh punishment. It will ruin their futures and further alienate them. No doubt they raised slogans that hurt the sentiments and emotions of people, which is not a justifiable act, but charging them under UAPA is excessive and ruins their careers. Students who go to other states of the country do so for pursuing studies seriously. They have nothing to do with politics. In fact, those trying to give political or religious colour to the students studying outside Jammu and Kashmir are damaging the fabric of the country. Many institutions in the country claim zero tolerance against discrimination on the basis of region and religion. However, these institutions rarely stand up for Kashmiri students. Inside many institutions, students are often discriminated against or assaulted on the basis of their regional identity. There are vested interests who spread hate, bigotry and narrow mindedness against Kashmiri students, which has turned them into soft targets. The vilification of the Kashmiri is orchestrated by some media houses and is continued on the ground by anti-social elements, including in campuses.
We must respect everyone’s sentiments and restrain from hurting the sentiments of others. But roughing up students for supporting a particular team goes against the spirit of the game. We understand that fans are emotionally connected to the sport but beating up Kashmiri students can’t help us to change the results of the game.
We hope that in the larger interest of the country, a large-hearted approach would be taken towards the students booked for sedition in Agra — the cases against them should be withdrawn. They made a mistake, no doubt, but we hope they will be allowed to return to studies. If students make a mistake, including raising controversial slogans, we need to reach out and counsel them instead of acting harshly against them. The government should give them a chance to restore their faith in the ethical standing and fairness of the Indian Constitution. The government should also take measures to ensure that the relationship between Kashmiri students and others remains cordial.
This column first appeared in the print edition on November 22, 2021 under the title ‘Just not cricket’. The writer is national spokesperson of J&K Students Association
