The All India Students’ Union has demanded the release of two of its activists in Lucknow who were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police for protesting against the government in two separate cases.
AISA U.P. vice-president Nitin Raj was arrested on charges of allegedly rioting, defacing and damaging a heritage site and misbehaving, assaulting and looting foreigner tourists near the Hussainabad clock tower here on March 15.
Several hundred women have been staging a protest at the site against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act since January 17.
AISA said the charges against the two were fabricated.
‘Drop charges’
“We demand all political prisoners and people illegally arrested on fabricated and false charges be immediately released and all charges be dropped,” AISA said in a statement.
Mr. Raj was booked along with 22 others and 100-150 other unnamed protesters, who have been accused of raising provocative slogans while felicitating two persons who were released on bail in connection with last December’s violence.
Ashwani Yadav was arrested along with Congress worker Sudhanshu Bajpai on Saturday and booked for allegedly putting up posters displaying the ‘criminal records’ of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya and several other BJP leaders at different places in Lucknow.
‘Part of conspiracy’
Police alleged that the accused put up the posters allegedly to spoil social harmony and spread disaffection as part of a “conspiracy”.
As per the First information Report lodged at the Hazratganj police station, the posters carried objectionable and derogatory material and “malicious” words in an attempt to spread “disaffection” and hatred in society.
U.P. police flayed
AISA said: “The U.P. police continues its legacy of violating the rule of law and using force, intimidation and arrests to threaten students.”
