Seven students in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) region were arrested by Indian police on Tuesday under anti-terror laws.
The arrest was made in connection with their alleged celebration of Australia’s victory over India in the men’s Cricket World Cup final earlier this month, as stated by the police.
According to sources, the students chanted pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans when Australia defeated India in the final match which resulted in the arrests.
Police said that the students are being charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) after they found video evidence of the accused chanting anti-India slogans. The maximum penalty for such offenses is seven years imprisonment.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s opposition has criticized him for such law-making which is suppressing people’s freedom of expression. They term such moves as making the country less tolerant.
Kashmir has been a home to violence for decades. A peaceful end to such violence is long overdue, but no one knows when it will happen.
