J&K police slaps UAPA against seven students for celebrating India’s defeat in Cricket WC final

The students were arrested after police launched an investigation into a complaint by a non-local student who alleged his collegemates had harassed him and raised objectionable slogans after India lost the final match and the cup to Australia.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir police have booked seven students under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly raising objectionable slogans and cheering India’s loss against Australia in the World Cup Cricket Final on November 19.

The students have been charged with public mischief and criminal intimidation under Section 13 of the UAPA and Sections 505 and 506 of the IPC.

The arrested students are all students of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Kashmir, the officials said.

The FIR was lodged after the police launched an investigation into a complaint by a non-local student Sachin Bains, a resident of Punjab against seven final year local students. The students have been identified by the complainant as Umer, Asif, Mohsin, Tauqeer, Khalid, Sameer and Ubaid.

Superintendent of Police, Ganderbal, Nikhil Borkar said investigation is on and some sections are added or deleted depending upon the findings of the investigation.

This is not the first time that Kashmiri students have been arrested for celebrating the Indian cricket team’s defeat. In 2021, the UAPA was invoked by the police to arrest medical college students who had celebrated Pakistan's triumph over India in the T20 World Cup.

In 2016, students from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar got into an argument with non-local students following India's T20 World Cup semi-final loss to the West Indies.

In 2014, 67 Kashmiri students in Meerut, UP, were arrested for sedition after Pakistan defeated India in the Asia Cup.

In 2017, following another Pakistan cricket win over India, 49 people were booked for sedition across UP, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka for alleged celebrations, 29 of whom were arrested.