4 female medical students booked for sedition

The crackdown on Kashmiris who have either celebrated the Pulwama attack or posted unpalatable comments on social media continues. Among them are four female paramedical students of Kashmiri-origin; they have been slapped with sedition charges after being suspended from a private institute here. The girls had allegedly celebrated the terror attack by posting "anti-national" messages on an instant messaging app, officials said on Sunday.

The second-year students of the National Institute of Medical Science (NIMS) -- Talveen Manzoor, Iqra, Zohra Nazir and Uzma Nazir -- were suspended for posting on WhatsApp a picture in which they were purportedly seen celebrating the attack.

The picture soon went viral, prompting the university administration to take action. The case was registered following a complaint by the university administration.

The Aligarh Muslim University has also suspended an undergraduate Kashmiri student for an allegedly objectionable tweet. Likewise, a student was on Sunday arrested in Himachal Pradesh for allegedly making "anti-national" remarks on social media.

After the suspension, the university informed the girls’ parents about the action taken. They will be produced before a court on Monday.

TRADE BANDH CALL: A traders' body – the Confederation of All India Traders -- has called for a nationwide trade bandh on Monday to express solidarity with the families of

martyred security personnel. The statement said commercial markets will remain closed in Delhi – both wholesale and retail. Traders in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana are expected to participate. The CAIT has also decided to launch a national campaign to boycott Chinese goods.