Srinagar: The families of Kashmiri engineering students who were arrested under sedition in Agra Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) for celebrating Pakistan’s win against India in the T20 World Cup match, have appealed government to release them on humanitarian ground or their entire careers will be ruined otherwise.
On Tuesday Raja Balwant Singh Engineering Technical College in Agra city of Uttar Pradesh suspended three Kashmir students identified as Arshad Yusuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh and Shaukat Ahmed Ganai allegedly for sharing celebration on social media
Soon after their suspension, Uttar Pradesh police booked and arrested the trio under sedition 124 (A) for allegedly celebrating Pakistan cricket team’s win.
Families of the trio on Thursday appealed the Jammu and Kashmir as well as UP government to release them on humanitarian grounds.
“We don’t care who wins or loses a cricket match, but we just want not to waste the future of our children. Their carrier would not be destroyed,” families said.
Mohammad Shaban Ganie, one of detained student’s father and a resident of Shahgund Hajin area of North Kashmir said that he wanted to see his son as an engineer but did not understand how come a cricket match between the two countries can upside down his son’s career.
"I have no idea where he is locked up and where his college is. I request the government of UP and Jammu and Kashmir to release him. He belongs to a poor family and we don’t even know where to go for his release,” he said.
Similarly, Mohammad Altaf Sheikh, father of another arrested student (Inyat Sheikh) of Dooniwara Chadoora described his son’s imprisonment as "unfortunate" and said that his whole family hasn’t eaten since yesterday.
“We’re just crying because he was our only son and we sent him to study outside Kashmir,” Sheikh said.
"We have contacted the college authorities several times but we have not received any response from there yet,” he said.
Besides families, Unionists and activities also raised their concerns.
People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti in a tweet said, “that crackdown on Kashmiri students both within J&K & outside is reprehensible. Situation in J&K after two years of suppression should’ve been an eye opener for GOI & lead to course correction. BJPs pseudo patriotism disregards the idea of India. Release these students immediately. ”
Meanwhile, J&K Students Association said that they have written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to drop an FIR against three Kashmiri students and revoke their suspension.
National Spokesperson of the Association Nasir Khuehami said that FIR is very harsh punishment and it will ruin their futures and will further alienate them.
“Charges will have serious consequences on academic and future career of the students. It may have serious repercussions, psychosomatic consequences on the students both in the long term and short term as well,” he said.
(KNO)
