Meerut, March 7: Just a day after his appearance on TV, Akhilesh Yadav's government in Uttar Pradesh dropped sedition charges against 67 Kashmiri students. The students, who had cheered for Pakistan cricket team which had defeated Indian team in the Asia Cup, might be relieved as the stern charges have been dropped against them.

During an interview with a News TV channel on Thursday, March 6, said that such serious charges should not be hurled against the students. However, he also asserted that the Kashmiri students should be given proper education.
Sedition charges under sections 124A, 153 and 427 of the IPC were hurled against the students. But after outrage, the charges were dropped by the Uttar Pradesh government.

Some of these students are recipients of the PM scholarship for Kashmiris

Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reacted strongly against the charges saying, "...what the boys may have done in Meerut is misguided it certainly isn't illegal, regardless of who them were cheering."

While tweeting from his Twitter account, Abdullah also said, "The sad fact is that some of these students are recipients of the PM scholarship for Kashmiris. Perhaps They need to introspect."

Earlier it was reported that a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders met the university's vice chancellor Dr Manzoor Ahmad and management officials demanding stern action against the students who praised Pakistan terming their act "anti-national".

A group of students belonging to BJP youth wing burnt the effigy of the vice chancellor, blaming him for being lenient to the students.

Reportedly, on Saturday a group of Kashmiri students celebrated Pakistan's victory in a cricket match, which they were watching with local students in SVSU's Madan Lal Dhingra Hostel. A few of them shouted slogan "Pakistan Zindabad" on the way back to their hostel rooms.

After the incident caused tension in the hostel, the university management launched an enquiry and questioned other Kashmiri students who refused to divulge the identity of those who were involved in the incident. As a result, the management suspended all 67 Kashmiri students residing in the hostel.

OneIndia News