Sedition row: Amnesty International shuts down offices temporarily

Bengaluru, Aug 18: Amnesty International, which has been in the eye of the storm after a case of sedition was filed against them, has temporarily closed down its offices in Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. The offices will re-open on Friday.

In Bengaluru the office of the NGO was shut down on the advise of the police. The move comes in the wake of protests by the ABVP which has been demanding the arrest of Amnesty International members.

The decision by Amnesty International to temporarily close down its offices was taken after concerns over the safety of its activists was raised. All seminars in Mumbai and Delhi too have been postponed in the wake of this decision.

The Bengaluru police had registered a case of sedition against the NGO after 'Azad Kashmir' slogans were allegedly raised at an event organised in Bengaluru last week. The event organised by the NGO witnessed heated arguments which led to slogan-raising.

The ABVP had lodged a complaint with the police and also submitted video evidence of the same.

The police are investigating the case, but have said that there shall be no arrests immediately. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh too had said on Wednesday that he had been assured by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah that there will be no arrests until the investigations are completed.

OneIndia News