Cops record statement of participants

A day after a sedition case was booked against Amnesty International India (AII) over the ruckus in an event on Kashmir, the police on Tuesday summoned a few people who attended the event for recording their statements.

A senior police officer said, “ A few people from the AII and also some participants were summoned and their statements recorded. It is learnt that towards the end of the programme, a few of them raised slogans against the Indian Army and the nation.The video footage of the event from various sources is being obtained and some of them have already been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination.”

He added that the case was sensitive and the probe would not be concluded fast. It needs to be investigated thoroughly and cases would be booked against people found responsible. Also, there are similar such cases registered across the country and there are Supreme Court guidelines which need to be followed, the officer said.

In response to the FIR, Amnesty International has issued a statement, rebutting point-by-point, the charges made by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The ABVP had claimed that Sindhujaa Iyengar, a political science lecturer at a private university in Bengaluru, Seema Mustafa and Roushan Illahi delivered anti-national speeches against soldiers.

The AII clarified that Iyengar was never present on stage at the event.  The only person from the NGO who delivered a speech was Tara Rao, the Programme Director, who spoke about the allegations of human rights violations by security force personnel which have been detailed in their report. The statement from the AII adds that the ruling coalition in Jammu and Kashmir -- People’s Democratic Party (PDP) -- had welcomed the suggestions  AII made in its report titled “Denied: Failures in accountability for human rights violations by security force personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.”

Did not raise slogans
It also says Mustafa is a senior journalist who only moderated a discussion and did not raise slogans or sang songs. The organisation has clarified that no employees of AII raised slogans at the event or assaulted anyone.

On the allegation that the event indirectly supported ISI and Pakistan, they said, “Amnesty International has worked extensively on human rights violations in Pakistan, including the enforced disappearances and unlawful killings of political activists in Balochistan, violations by security forces in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) , and violence against journalists by groups including the ISI.” The organisation has shared video footage from the event with the police.