Teen activist charged with sedition for saying ‘Pakistan zindabad’

Asaduddin Owaisi, second left, prevents a student activist Amulya, second right, to continue talking after she raised pro- Pakistan slogans (AFP)

Farheen Hussain | TNN | Feb 21, 2020 BENGALURU: A teenage student-activist was arrested and booked for sedition after she repeatedly raised ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogans in her speech at an anti-CAA-NRC protest held in central Bengaluru on Thursday evening.

Hyderabad MP and chief of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Asaduddin Owaisi, who was on the stage, immediately condemned the girl’s statement and said, “Murdabad to all those who raise such slogans.”

Additional commissioner of police (West) Soumendu Mukherjee said women police officers are questioning Amulya Leona Noronha, 19, who lives in KR Puram as a paying guest. Her father lives in Shivapura of Koppa in Chikkamagaluru district.

Incidentally, Amulya was part of a three-member team that heckled Postcard News co-founder Mahesh Vikram Hegde at Mangaluru Airport in January. She, Karnataka Congress spokesperson Kavita Reddy and another student had asked Hegde to “prove his Indian-ness by singing Vande Mataram”.

Thursday’s incident took place around 6.30pm at Freedom Park in the presence of Owaisi, who had come to address the gathering under the banner of ‘Save Constitution’. The teen activist began her speech with ‘awaaz do’ calls thrice, with the crowds responding ‘hum ek hain’. She suddenly broke into ‘Pakistan zindabad’ shouts thrice, and the crowd replied with ‘murdabad’, catching the organizers unawares. 

Commotion reigned as the girl chanted the slogan a second time. Organisers on the stage sought to take the mike away from her. An undeterred Amulya asked the gathering to chant with her. Then, she said ‘Hindustan zindabad’ and attempted to explain something, but police whisked her away to the backstage and arrested her. She was soon taken out of the protest venue. 

Owaisi took the mike even as Amulya was being whisked away and said, “I condemn the statement. I’m not associated with her. I’m disappointed that the organisers allowed such statements to be made at an event meant for the unity of our nation.” 

BBMP corporator Imran Pasha said the activist was at the event without permission and such slogans were raised to mar the secular image of Owaisi and the spirit of the anti-CAA protest.