Family stands by jailed cartoonist, coal minister heckled

Supporters of India Against Corruption (IAC) and the parents of jailed cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, who was charged with sedition by Mumbai police, Monday heckled union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and sought his intervention in the  matter.

Hundreds of people gathered outside Jaiswal's house and demanded that the case of sedition be immediately withdrawn and action be taken against the policemen. Parents of the jailed cartoonist said that Aseem was not only "innocent but a die hard patriot".

"We are amazed at the police action and suspect that his arrest and slapping of sedition charges is politically motivated," they said.

Jaiswal assured Trivedi's family that he would look into the matter.

Twentyfive-year-old Aseem is a resident of Shuklaganj, on the outskirts of Kanpur, and has been at the forefront of IAC campaigns. He has been spearheading a 'Cartoons Against Corruption' campaign on social media networks.

After Mumbai police registered a case against him, he had fled from Mumbai to New Delhi.

Aseem's friends told IANS that a few days ago, his father Ashok was interrogated for over seven hours by Mumbai cops in Kanpur. Aseem cracked under pressure and telephonically informed Mumbai police that he would appear before them before Sep 9.

The sedition case against Aseem was filed by lawyer and local Congress politician R.P. Pandey.

Aseem's father told IANS that his son is a "patriotic man committed to a corruption- free India. We will not be cowed down by  such acts. I am confident my son will win the case with his head held high".