After outrage, Uttar Pradesh drops sedition on Kashmiris for cheering Pakistan team

Lucknow/New Delhi/Srinagar: A group of 67 Kashmiri students at a private college in Meerut district were booked for sedition on Thursday after they cheered Pakistan during an Asia Cup cricket match that India lost.

But on Thursday evening, hours after the Centre intervened, the UP home department informed the Union home ministry that Section 124-A of the IPC, dealing with sedition, had been dropped.

The withdrawal of the IPC section dealing with sedition came amidst criticism of the UP government over its handling of the case with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah slamming the move and the home ministry seeking a report from the Akhilesh Yadav government.

The minimum punishment for the offence of sedition is three years and the maximum is a life sentence.

The Swami Vivekanand Subharti University had suspended 67 students on Monday after they cheered the Pakistan cricket team and celebrated its victory, which led to tension on the campus.

The college had alleged that the students celebrated and raised pro-Pakistan slogans, which led to a fight with other students and escalated into vandalism and stone-throwing. The students were suspended and sent home almost immediately. Some of them have returned to Jammu and Kashmir and others are staying with friends. A few of the students said that the college had suspended them for 3 days.