A PhD scholar at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad has been booked for allegedly raising pro-Palestinian slogans during an ongoing fee hike protest at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
An FIR has been registered against Talha Mannan and 8 to 10 unidentified students, after a complaint by Hindu Raksha Dal district president Sanjay Arya, who accused them of chanting “provocative slogans” and displaying the Palestinian flag during demonstrations against the recent fee hike and the demand to restore the Students’ Union. He alleged that the act threatened communal harmony and disturbed public peace.
Also ReadAMU fee hike protest ends, varsity says new ‘understanding’ reached
Arya stated that the AMU fee hike protest, which started on August 4, was reportedly held without prior permission. It added that photos and videos circulating on social media showed Mannan wearing a keffiyeh scarf bearing the Palestinian flag.
Police booked Mannan and others under Sections 223 (disobedience of an order duly promulgated by a public servant) and 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Talha Mannan is a former AMU student and the national secretary of the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO). He had joined AMU students on August 12 in solidarity against the fee hike.
The three-week-long student protest at Aligarh Muslim University ended on August 18 when two student leaders, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike since August 14, broke their fast following a breakthrough on the fee hike issue.
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