AMU Sedition Row |Mehbooba demands withdrawal of charges, says Wani was 'victim of relentless violence'

SRINAGAR: Describing slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Manan Bashir Wani as a "victim of relentless violence in Kashmir", former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti Monday demanded withdrawal of cases against three Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students from the Valley who were booked after they allegedly tried to hold a prayer meeting for Wani on Friday.

The comments came hours after Kashmiri students studying at the AMU organised a protest march on the campus, alleging harassment by local authorities. A similar silent march was also staged by the Kashmir University students today to show solidarity with AMU students.

Twenty-seven-year-old Wani, who was pursing a Ph.D course in allied geology at the AMU, had quit the university and joined militant ranks in January. He was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir last week.

The three Kashmiri students—Wasim Malik, Abdul Mir and one unnamed person-- were booked for sedition for allegedly raising "anti-India" slogans and trying to hold a prayer meeting for the Hizbul 'commander', a day after he was killed.

"Pushing youth to the wall will be counter productive. Centre must intervene in withdrawing cases against students & AMU authorities must revoke their suspension,” Mehbooba said on Twitter.
"It will be a travesty to punish them (students) for remembering their former colleague (Wani) who was a victim of relentless violence in Kashmir," Mehbooba added.

“The respective State governments outside JK should be sensitive to the situation & prevent further alienation,” another tweet from PDP president read.

In the wake of the suspension of the three Kashmiri students, more than 1,200 students from Jammu and Kashmir studying at the varsity have threatened to leave for their homes on October 17, if the sedition charges against the three were not dropped.

Meanwhile, Kashmiri students at the Varsity organised a protest march on the campus Monday against slapping of sedition charges on their three peers and alleged harassment by local authorities.

The students marched from the Sir Syed Gate to the office of Vice Chancellor Prof. Tariq Mansoor.

Five of the protesting students met the university registrar Abdul Hamid and handed over a memorandum alleging that they were living in a state of constant fear.

The protesting students said in their memorandum Monday that if the sedition charges were not withdrawn, more than 1,200 Kashmiri students would leave the campus on October 17 after presenting their case during the alumni meet on October 16, as part of the Sir Syed Day celebration.

AMU registrar Abdul Hamid told mediapersons, "We have made it clear that no innocent person is going to be harassed. Any punitive action would be taken only after we receive the report of a three-member enquiry committee headed by AMU proctor Prof Mohsin Khan."

He said there would be no witch-hunt against any student.

Meanwhile, students of the Kashmir University also staged a silent march on Monday to show solidarity with Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students facing sedition charges for trying to offer funeral prayers in absentia for a slain Ph.D scholar-turned-militant commander.