Journalist, 3 others on way to Hathras arrested, charged with anti-terror law

A journalist and three others on way to Hathras and arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police earlier this week have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sedition, according to an FIR registered in Mathura on Wednesday.

The four, who had been arrested in Mathura on Monday, had been placed under preventive detention but an FIR was registered against them in the Mant police station of Mathura today and subsequently they were presented before a court.

These four include Atiq-ur- Rehman from Muzaffar Nagar, Siddiq from Malappuram (Kerala), Masood from Bahraich and Alam from Rampur. Siddiq is a journalist. They were arrested on Monday night after a laptop and some objectionable literature relating to ‘Justice for Hathras Victim’ was allegedly recovered from their possession while they were en route to Hathras.

They are allegedly linked with Popular Front of India’s (PFI) student wing Campus Front of India (CFI) and were coming from Delhi and moving towards Hathras in a car and were stopped, said police.

The UP government has maintained that there is a conspiracy to whip up caste and communal violence in the state and the Hathras police are now investigating a conspiracy angle in the case, which has created a political storm.

The Superintendent of Police (SP) for Mathura Rural Sheerish Chand confirmed that these four are now booked for sedition and other charges. He informed that all four were presented before Court on Wednesday and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

The FIR has been registered under section 153-A of IPC (promoting enmity between two groups), 295A of IPC (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage feelings) 124 (A) (Sedition) beside section 17 and 14 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 and Sections 65, 72 and 76 of Information Technology Act.

The FIR blames them for attempting to incite riots in Hathras and fuelling caste violence for which they were collecting donations through those working for website Carrd.co.

It further said that money transfer was not through lawful method and the money so gathered from international sources was to cause riots. It was alleged that pamphlets ‘Am I Not India’s Daughter’ were to serve these unlawful purposes.

The men are accused of attempting to incite a riot, spread rumours, gather people and wage a hate campaign against India through its website. The website, said police, was teaching ways to cause riots and to move out safely after achieving the objective. All four arrested were blamed to be involved in all these activities through the website, alleged Prabal Pratap Singh, the sub inspector and complainant in the case, according to whom, these unlawful acts make all four liable for sedition charges.