Lawyers in Agra court of Uttar Pradesh after assaulting Kashmiri Engineering students held under sedition charges have refused to represent the Kashmiri trio held for sedition.
“We will not provide any legal help to those who are involved in anti-national activity or anti-social activity,” Nitin Verma, President of the Young Lawyers’ Association, Agra, told PTI.
Arshid Yousuf, Inayat Altaf Sheikh, and Showkat Ahmed Ganie, students of the Raja Balwant Singh Engineering College (RBSEC) in Agra, were arrested after an FIR was lodged against them at the Jagdishpura police station.
The trio has been accused of raising pro-Pakistan slogans and putting up social media posts in support of Pakistan after Pakistan beat India in their first encounter in the T20 World cup of 2021.
The students have been booked under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and 505 (1)(B) (with intent to cause or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public) of the Indian Penal Code.
They have also been charged under Section 66-F of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cyber-terrorism.
As the students were produced in the court, they were attacked and assaulted by lawyers, abused, and heckled in presence of the Police in Uttar Pradesh.
The charges on the students have evoked sharp criticism in the valley.
Meanwhile, the National Conference has offered legal aid to the families. Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, a spokesperson of the party said that they have offered free lawyers to the families. “The sedition charges and harsh punishment being meted out to our young on one or another reason is unacceptable. Such measures will prove least helpful to mainstream our youth; on the contrary, such measures will further alienate them besides having psychosomatic consequences on their young impressionable minds, hence should be immediately withdrawn,” the NC said in a statement.
Meanwhile the Jammu Kashmir students Association General Secretary, Younis Rashid spoke to The Kashmiriyat over the phone and said that the Association has spoken to the family and will plead the case of the trio in the court.
“We have not spoken to lawyers as of yet, but we will soon finalize a lawyer for the trio. Today’s statement from the Agra lawyers is unfortunate. They cannot snatch someone’s right to be represented legally. This is a violation of the constitutional rights of citizens,” Younis said.