Citing lack of evidence, Karnataka police release three Kashmiri students detained on sedition charges

The police said that the students were released on a bond under CrPC Section 169 on Sunday and are now kept under safe custody and their parents are expected to reach Hubballi.
The KLE Institute of Technology in Hubballi. (Photo | EPS)
The KLE Institute of Technology in Hubballi. (Photo | EPS)

HUBBALLI: The Hubballi-Dharwad police have released three students from Kashmir, who were detained on Saturday on charges of sedition. The detained students were studying in the KLE Institute of Technology in Hubballi.

The police said that the students were released on a bond under CrPC Section 169 on Sunday. The students are now kept under safe custody and their parents are expected to reach Hubballi.

On Saturday, three students who hail from Anantnag and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir, were rounded up by the police after a video surfaced in which they are allegedly seen raising pro-Pakistan slogans. The video was taken by the police, along with statements of other hostel-mates. The police have also seized mobile phones and laptops of the students for investigation.

ALSO READ: Sedition case filed against three Kashmiri students in Hubballi for 'raising pro-Pak slogans'

The police said that CrPC section 169 allows release of the accused when evidence is deficient. “We did not find enough evidence to arrest the three students under sedition charges. They are now released on a bond, but they have to visit the police station as and when required. Currently, they are in safe custody and soon their parents are coming to meet them. The college has already rusticated them after the video,” a police officer informed.

On Saturday, after the video went viral, college principal Basavaraj Anami had a lodged complaint and the police had registered a case under IPC Sections 124-A (Sedition), 153 A and B, 505 (2) and 34. The students were released on Sunday, after a thorough investigation by the police and a team of intelligence officers.

ALSO READ: Three Kashmiri college students detained for raising pro-Pakistan slogans in Karnataka 

Meanwhile, principal Anami said that the college has already rusticated the students and informed their parents, who may come here within a couple of days. “The students got seats here under the Government of India quota, therefore, we will write to The Union Government in this regard,” he said.

Members of right-wing organisations staged a protest in front of the Gokul Road police station for releasing the students from Kashmir. They alleged that the charges are serious and the police must arrest the trio.

“There is enough evidence to prove that they hail Pakistan,” said a member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The protesters also blocked the road, demanding the intervention of Police Commissioner R Dileep.

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