PU seeks sedition charges against protesting students

The PU chief security officer, Prof Ashwani Kaul, sought sedition charges against the protesters in his complaint to the police. However, the police did not add the relevant section — 124A of the Indian Penal Code — to the final first-information report (FIR).

After stone-pelting by students, and use of water cannon and tear gas by the police, marked a protest over fee hike at Panjab University on Tuesday, 52 students were arrested.

Students raising slogans and throwing stones at cops during a protest against fee hike at Panjab University in Chandigarh on Tuesday, April 11. (Karun Sharma/HT)

The PU chief security officer, Prof Ashwani Kaul, sought sedition charges against the protesters in his complaint to the police. However, the police did not add the relevant section — 124A of the Indian Penal Code — to the final first-information report (FIR).

On social media, there were posts that said sedition charges were pressed. When contacted, SSP Eish Singhal denied this: “There was a complaint for pressing sedition charge too. But we did not find any evidence regarding that after watching the videos.” Charges pressed include those for rioting and damaging public property, among others.