The Hemant Soren led JMM-Congress-RJD government has decided to drop sedition charges against 3000 unidentified persons who had joined in an anti-CAA protest without permission. Along with, actions are also being taken against the police officials who had slapped the sedition charge.
The chief minister ordered the administration in Dhanbad instructing them to drop the sedition charges registered in Dhanbad district. Accordingly, SP(City) Dhanbad directed the SHO of Dhanbad to file a correction application in the court to remove the sedition charges from the FIR. Posting the copies of the letters on Twitter, CM Soren tweeted from his official Twitter handle saying that laws are not meant to frighten and silence people but to instil a feeling of safety among the people. He tweeted that orders have been issued to immediately drop the charges against 3000 persons, adding that orders have also been issued to take appropriate action against the guilty officials.
क़ानून जनता को डराने एवं उनकी आवाज़ दबाने के लिए नहीं बल्कि आम जन-मानस में सुरक्षा का भाव उत्पन्न करने को होता है।
मेरे नेतृत्व में चल रही सरकार में क़ानून जनता की आवाज़ को बुलंद करने का कार्य करेगी।
धनबाद में 3000 लोगों पर लगाए गए राजद्रोह की धारा को अविलंब निरस्त करने के 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Y0PMT84Vra
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) January 8, 2020
With this, he also added, “I also urge the people of Jharkhand that it is their state and abiding the law and order is their duty.”
Following the order of the Chief Minister, a sub-inspector was issued a show-cause notice by Dhanbad police for registering sedition charges against 3000 persons for participating in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Dhanbad SP R Ramkumar said, “We have initiated the process to withdraw the sedition charge. The matter is now in court and the process of withdrawal of the sedition charge will be carried out soon. We have issued a show-cause notice to the subinspector, posted at Dhanbad city police station. He was in charge of the thana when the procession was taken out and he was the one who signed the FIR against the protesters.” He added that further action will be taken based on the reply submitted by the concerned police officer.
On Tuesday Dhanbad police had slapped several sections under IPC including sedition charges against around 3000 persons for holding an anti-CAA march in Wasseypur without permission, out of whom 7 were named. They were named as Md Syed Shahnawaz, Md Sajid a.k.a. Shahid, Haji Zamir Arif, Md Saddam, Ali Akbar, Md Noushad and Maulana Ghulam Nabi.
The FIR had also alleged that inflammatory slogans were also raised in the protest. It is alleged that objectionable comments and slogans were also raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The FIR said that the protestors had blocked traffic and raised slogans hurting religious sentiments.
The FIR was registered as the protest procession involving around 3000-4000 people was taken out without permission. The protesters were holding placards, posters and banners with anti-CAA-NRC-NPR messages, but some of them also had ‘azadi’ slogans. Azadi slogans were also raised during the march. The FIR in the case was also lodged under sections 143, 145, and 149 (all related to unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing a public servant from discharging his duty), 188 (disobedience of any public order promulgated by any public servant), 336 (any act that endangers human life or personal safety); 153 A (wanton vilification or attacks against religion); 153B (assembly engaged in religious worship or religious ceremony), and 124A (sedition).
The SP’s letter mentions that the sedition charges will be dropped, which means the case will continue in the other sections for the unauthorised protest march.
