Lucknow: Sedition charges dropped over ‘anti-national slogans’

Additional SP (West) Vikas Chandra Tripathi told The Indian Express Tuesday that the sedition charge was dropped as the relevant IPC section (124-A ) was “misprinted” in the FIR lodged at Thakurganj police station on Friday night.

“During our investigation, the charge (sedition) could not be substantiated and hence, the section for sedition has been dropped from the FIR,” said Tripathi.

The Indian Express had first reported on Sunday that Lucknow police had booked several on sedition charges and promoting enmity on grounds of religion for allegedly raising anti-national and objectionable slogans during a rally on Friday to protest the new citizenship law and the NRC.

Another case related to the same protest was registered at Chowk police station on charges of rioting and violation of CrPC Section 144.

Both cases, registered on Friday night, were lodged based on complaints from police personnel.

Reacting to Tuesday’s development, AIMIM organisation secretary for Uttar Pradesh, Mohammad Iqbal, said, “It was outrageous that the police had booked people who took part in a peaceful protest on sedition charges. The protest was peaceful and no anti-national activity was done there. If the police had not dropped the charge, the court would have.”