Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Indian student facing life imprisonment for refusing to stand up during national anthem at theatre...

An intense debate sparked in India, after the local police in Kerala recently arrested a philosophy student and charged him for sedition, under which he faces life imprisonment, for refusing to stand up during the national anthem at a theatre.

Salman M, 25, was arrested in Thiruvanathapuram on 20 August. He was charged under section 124 A of the IPC (sedition) for allegedly "sitting and hooting" when the anthem was played at the theatre.

Salman has also been accused under section 66A of India's Information Technology Act for allegedly publishing abusive social media posts about the Independence Day on 15 August.

A Thiruvananthapuram court denied bail to Salman for the second time on 6 September. The 25-year-old will now face life imprisonment, if the charges against him are proved.

The arrest was made after Salman and his friends refused to stand up when a music video of the national anthem was played at a government-owned local theatre, prior to the screening of a movie, on 18 August.

The group's refusal to stand up led to protests from a section of the audience. A heated argument followed, and a few people filed a complaint with the police. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Social media in India has suddenly become a decidedly dangerous place for dissent...
  2. Cheering for the Pakistan cricket team is dangerous in democratic India...
  3. Facebook user faces jail for anti-Modi ‘holocaust’ remark...
  4. Enabling extremism, monetizing dissent and India's Modi...
  5. Thailand’s political prisoners: Draconian lese majeste law used against dissenters...

No comments:

Post a Comment