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J&K: UAPA cases filed over alleged videos of people celebrating Pak’s win
Jammu and Kashmir Police lodged cases under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) over videos that purportedly showed people in the union territory celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India in a T20 World Cup match on Sunday
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have filed cases under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) over videos that purportedly showed some people in the union territory celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India in a T20 World Cup match in Dubai, UAE on Sunday.
“We have registered a case,” said Vijay Kumar, inspector general (Kashmir).
People aware of the matter said first information reports (FIRs) under the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code were filed on Monday at police stations in Srinagar’s Soura and Karan Nagar.
“An FIR under the UAPA has been registered after there were purported celebrations and slogans following a cricket match. The case is not specific to videos on social media,” said an officer from the Soura police station, who requested no to be named.
There is no provision for anticipatory bail under the UAPA, which provides for a minimum of five years of imprisonment.
Videos have gone viral on social media purportedly showing celebrations in Kashmir following Pakistan’s one-sided win in the cricket match.
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HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos or confirm whether they were related to the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match played in Dubai on Sunday.
Alleged celebrations over the West Indies team’s win against India in the T20 World cup semi-final in 2016 had triggered a clash between non-local and local students at Srinagar’s National Institute of Technology.
Former minister Sajad Lone has opposed calls for punitive action against those who reportedly rooted for Pakistan. “I strongly disagree. If you think that they are not patriotic enough because they cheered for another team, you should have the courage and the belief to wean them back if you think they have gone patriotically astray. Punitive actions won’t help. [They] have not helped in the past either,” Lone tweeted.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti questioned the anger against Kashmiris for allegedly celebrating Pakistan’s win on Sunday. “Some are even chanting murderous slogans... One hasn’t forgotten how many celebrated by distributing sweets when J&K was dismembered and stripped of special status [in 2019],” she said. “Let’s agree to disagree and take it in the right spirit like [Indian captain] Virat Kohli, who was the first to congratulate the Pakistani cricket team,” Mufti remarked.
In Punjab, some students from Kashmir said they were beaten up after the match on Sunday.
