13 arrested for sedition in Valley over ‘azadi’ slogans
Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday arrested 13 people on sedition charges for allegedly raising “azadi” slogans at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, police officials familiar with the matter said, adding that they were planning to book the accused under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).
On Friday, protests broke out at the grand mosque, with some men allegedly shouting “azadi” slogans after the first congregational prayer was held there in the month of Ramzan.
Jamia Masjid was opened for prayers only last month, after remaining shut for almost two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Yesterday afternoon, there were Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid and a huge number of people had gathered. After the culmination of the prayers, about a dozen persons started anti-national and provocative sloganeering,” a police spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.
Police said that there was also an altercation between those raising the slogans and the volunteers of the mosque’s managing committee.
“This created ruckus inside the mosque, leading to clashes. Later, the hooligans were dispersed by the volunteers, “the spokesperson added. said.
A case in this regard was registered at the Nowhatta Police Station under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 124A (Sedition) and 447 (Punishment for criminal trespass).
Police said they conducted raids at various locations after gathering evidence and arrested the main instigators of the incident — Basharat Nabi Bhat and Umar Manzoor Sheikh — both residents Nowhatta.
“Eleven (11) more accused were subsequently arrested… Dossiers of all the accused are being prepared to book them under the PSA, “the spokesperson said.
Enacted in 1978, PSA allows authorities to detain a person for up to two years to prevent them from acting harmfully against “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order” without a trial or warrant.
Jamia Masjid is one of the biggest mosques in Kashmir and has been central to many important developments.
According to the police official, initial investigation revealed that the accused had “received instructions from Pakistani handlers of terror outfits to disrupt Friday prayers in Jamia Masjid and create a law and order situation by provoking the attendees”.
The development amid a string of terror attacks. On Thursday, a migrant labourer was injured after he was shot at by suspected terrorists in Pulwama district.
Last week, two migrant labourers were injured after they were shot at by terrorists in the same district.