Now, outburst against BJP invites sedition charges

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Ramgarh (Samba), February 21

For an outburst against the BJP leadership for “abandoning” border residents at a crucial time, the police have turned a daily diary report (DDR) into an FIR, slapping sedition charges on some unidentified persons.

“We have registered an FIR under Section 124/A of the RPC (sedition charges) against unidentified persons for shouting objectionable slogans during the cremation of Suresh Kumar Choudhary (a shelling victim),” said Ramgarh SHO Bansi Lal Sharma while disclosing that the police had approached the court for getting permission to turn the DDR into a formal FIR for sedition.

As reported earlier, local cops were under pressure from higher-ups to book victims of border shelling for sedition as they “dared” to use abusive language against BJP leaders while giving vent to their grief at Suresh’s cremation on February 5. Suresh had got injured in shelling on January 19.

Sources said although the police had registered an FIR against unidentified persons, the real target was the family of the deceased ex-servicemen Suresh Choudhary. The shelling victim’s kin had minced no words in targeting the state and central leadership of the BJP for betraying border residents and using them as “cannon fodder to reap political benefits”.

Ironically, the family which is being victimised has an Army background. While Suresh Choudhary retired from the Army as havildar, his elder son is also in the Army and deployed in the militancy-plagued Kashmir valley.

Highly placed sources said initially the local police was not ready to pursue the case as they knew that the deceased ex-serviceman’s family members had made the “derogatory” remarks against the BJP leadership during an emotional outburst due to nonavailability of medical facilities. However, due to pressure from higher-ups, the police had to register an FIR, the sources added.

According to the document in the possession of The Tribune, the Ramgarh Police moved an application before the Court, seeking permission to book “unidentified persons who tried to create a law and order situation and used slogans against the government servants present”.

However, the FIR that has been registered has slapped sedition charges and hasn’t just restricted the incident to a law and order problem.

What is Section 124-A (Sedition) 

The Ranbir Penal Code says: Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years.

Family has Army background

The Samba family which is being victimised has an Army background. While the shelling victim Suresh Choudhary (in pic) who succumbed to his injuries on February 5 retired from the Army as havildar, his elder son is also in the Army and deployed in the militancy-plagued Kashmir valley.