No evidence against 14 AMU students, police quash sedition charges

Aligarh: The sedition charges that were registered against 14 Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students after no evidence to support allegations was found, said the police on Friday.

Fourteen AMU students, including their union chief, were booked under sedition charges after a complaint was filed by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha activist Mukesh Lodhi, alleging that he was assaulted amid chants of pro-Pakistan slogans by some students. This was after the protest held by members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha who demanded ban of AIMIM lawmaker Asaduddin Owaisi visit to the campus.

The Aligarh Muslim University Teacher’s Association (AMUTA) had earlier condemned the booking of 14 students under sedition charges and had also asked the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind to intervene. The teachers had urged the President to take Suo Moto cognisance of the action of the state government and direct the authorities to deal the matter without any bias.

AMUTA had passed a unanimous resolution strongly condemning the serious sedition charges and others levelled against the AMU students. They had asked to send a strong message or directive to the nation that serious charges like “sedition” should be invoked only after thorough inquiry and not within a few hours of the alleged incident.

Earlier this month, few students also got into serious scuffle with few reporters and cameramans of Republic TV channel which had allegedly come to the campus to cover the event without have any prior permission of the AMU authorities.

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