The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday, 27 October, arrested two persons for their social media posts 'favouring Pakistan' after the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, 24 October.
A teenaged labourer Mohammed Niyaz was arrested in Badaun for posting comments supporting Pakistan's victory on Facebook. The other youth, who has been arrested in Sitapur, has been identified as Musharraf, The Indian Express reported.
While the FIR against Niyaz cites sedition, the one against Musharraf has been registered on the charge of breach of peace.
In addition, two more persons from Bareilly – a jail warder named Arsh Ali Malik and one Ayan Khan – have been booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police for similar offences.
Most of the complaints in these cases have been lodged by members of the Hindu Jagran Manch and the BJP, as per The Indian Express.
Previously, the UP Police had arrested three Kashmiri students for allegedly posting stories on social media "in favor of Pakistan" after the country's 10-wicket win over India in the T20 World Cup.
3 Kashmiri Students Arrested in Agra
Three Kashmiri students of Agra's Raja Balwant Singh Management Technical Campus college were arrested on Tuesday, 27 October, for allegedly posting stories on social media "in favour of Pakistan".
"Three students of RBS college – Inayat Altaf Shaikh, Showkat Ahmad Gani, and Arshad Yusuf – raised anti-national slogans of 'Bharat Tere Tukde Honge', Pakistan Zindabad, and put up anti-India slogans on social media through their WhatsApp status. These people are trying to stir tension, which might spoil the atmosphere of the country."The FIR against the students
The youths have been booked under the following sections of the Indian Penal Code:
153A: Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony
505 (1) (B): Making, publishing, or circulating any statement, rumour, or report with intent to cause fear or alarm in the public
124A: Sedition
The students have also been charged with 66F of the Information Technology Act (punishment for cyber terrorism).
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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