Hours after 15 men from Madhya Pradesh aged between 18 and 40 years were arrested on Tuesday (June 20) for raising pro-Pakistan slogans after India-Pakistan Champions Trophy final, their families have claimed that their kin were being framed as a part of a conspiracy.
Madhya Pradesh: 15 held over pro-Pakistan slogans after India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy final
They have said that sedition charges against the arrested 15 will ruin them. "This is a conspiracy against us... a sedition charge will ruin our lives," Yusuf Tadvi, a family member of two of the accused who were arrested from Mohad was quoted by the Hindustan Times.
As many as 15 men were picked up by the police from the Imli Chowraha, Badi Masjid, Muzaffar Kotwara and other areas in Mohad village for bursting crackers, distributing sweets and raising pro-Pak slogans after a neighbour complained to the police.
While district Superintendent of Police (SP) RRS Parihar told Hindustan Times that a resident by name Subhash Laxman Koli complained about it following which they made the arrests, Shahpura police station in-charge Sanjay Pathak also echoed the same statement.
"We received a complaint in the matter from one of the villagers and after preliminary investigation, we found that the allegations were correct," said Pathak.
MP: 15 arrested in Burhanpur for raising Pro-Pak slogans & bursting crackers after Pakistan's win in final match against India on 18th June. pic.twitter.com/CRprlDQ256
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 20, 2017
"We have subsequently booked the accused for sedition and criminal conspiracy under sections 124A and 120B of the IPC," he had added.
However, the families of the accused have said that they weren't celebrating at all and that the arrests were a conspiracy to target the Muslims as they didn't vote for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"Around 1.30 am, cops barged into our house, started searching and picked up my son Mehmud and took him away, while thrashing him all along. We didn't celebrate Pakistani victory at all," says Rafiq Imam, whose 25-year-old son was arrested.
"They want to polarise the village as it has a substantial population from both communities," alleges Rafiq.
Though the HT has said that the police have rubbished all the charges, it also added that the police were looking into the allegations made by the family calling the neighbour's complaint as a conspiracy.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka policemen on Wednesday said that 23 persons who were allegedly celebrating Pakistan victory's over India in the Champions Trophy cricket final have been booked under various charges including rioting and unlawful assembly.
