Mumbai: Police slap sedition charge against activist, 50 others

The Azad Maidan police on Monday registered an FIR against LGBT activist Urvashi Chudawala and 50 unidentified people for shouting slogans in favour of Sharjeel Imam, who was recently arrested by Delhi police for sedition, at the Queer Pride March 2020 last week.

The police identified Chudawala, a member of TISS Queer Collective, in the video of the event that had gone viral. They have booked them on sedition charges for supporting the JNU student who faces sedition charges in five states.

The Mumbai police had taken cognisance of the video made during the 'Solidarity Gathering' at Azad Maidan on February 1. The Queer Azadi Mumbai, which organised the event, had condemned the pro-Imam sloganeering.

Meanwhile, the police are examining Chudawala's social media profiles. "The case has been registered and the matter is being investigated," said Mumbai police spokesperson DCP Pranay Ashok.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmuk told mid-day, "We are not going to tolerate anything that is against the law and the idea of India. The accused has been identified by Mumbai police and booked under Sections 124A (sedition) 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration via words spoken written or published), 34 (common intention) and 505 (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause fear or alarm in public) of the IPC."

On Monday, former CM Devendra Fadnavis took to Twitter to slam the MVA government. "What is this going on in Mumbai? And why is the Maharashtra govt tolerating this?" he tweeted. Later, he told mid-day, "The police must arrest the accused and investigate the matter thoroughly, and the government should not allow such protests where people shout anti-India slogans."

Meanwhile, Deshmukh also said a closure report in the FIR against Mehak Mirza Prabhu will be filed soon. Prabhu was booked last month for holding a 'Free Kashmir' placard at an anti-CAA protest at the Gateway of India. During the probeit was revealed that Prabhu did not mean Kashmir's freedom from India but was seeking the freedom of Kashmiris from the restrictions in Jammu & Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August, Deshmukh said. "Though we are still investigating who actually brought the objectionable placard to the protest," he said.

Despite several attempts, mid-day couldn't contact Chudawala for a comment.

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