9 sedition cases lodged in Haryana in 2 yrs; terrorists, scribes among accused

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

In the past two years, the Haryana Police have registered nine sedition cases against terrorists, journalists and a farmer. The facts were submitted in the Assembly on Wednesday in reply to a question from INLD general secretary Abhay Chautala.

All these cases have been registered under Section 124A of the IPC and in some cases, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was also invoked. Section 124A prescribes punishment for bringing hatred or contempt towards the Indian Government.

Between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020, the state police registered two cases. First was registered on April 16, 2019, at the GRP station in Ambala Cantonment after a threat letter was received from Jaish-e-Mohammad’s (JeM) area commander Mysore Ahmed to blow up railway stations in Panipat, Karnal, Sonepat, Kurukshetra and Delhi. Another case was registered at the GRP station in Rohtak on September 14, 2019, after a threat letter from JeM area commander Maisud Ahmed (J&K) (Karachi), Pakistan.

From April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, seven cases were registered. Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) was booked on July 2, 2020, in Gurugram and also on July 12, 2020, at Kurukshetra. Pannu was declared a terrorist by the Home Ministry on July 1, 2020.

As per the police, a pre-recorded audio-video message was circulated by Pannu blaming the state government and its residents for being inimical to the interests of the Sikhs and Punjabis. The SFJ is also banned in India.

On August 31, 2020, the GRP station, Ambala Cantonment, registered another case after a call was received from a woman, who said she had come to know that the Khalistanis would blow up railway tracks. Another FIR was registered on December 29, 2020, after the RPF helpline, Delhi, got a tip-off about some explosive material placed on the Shridham Express. The train was stopped at the Faridabad station and checked, but nothing was found.

Also, a case was registered against senior journalist of India Today Rajdeep Sardesai, National Herald’s consulting editor Mrinal Pande, editor-in-chief of Urdu newspaper Zafar Agha, The Caravan’s editors Paresh Nath and Anantnath and its executive editor Vinod K Jose and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on January 28 at the Bhondsi (Gurugram) police station.

They were booked for tweets on the death of a farmer during the January 26 protest. Later, the SC stayed their arrests in all FIRs.

One Farmer booked too

On January 15, a case was registered at Bahadurgarh on the allegations that Sunil Gulia, a khap leader, had uploaded a video on social media wherein he vowed to launch a cannon attack against the govt if it didn’t listen to the farmers protesting against the farm laws, recently repealed by the Centre.