The Madhya Pradesh Police have dropped sedition charges against 15 men who had allegedly raised pro-Pakistan slogans and also burst crackers after Pakistan beat India in the ICC Champions Trophy final on Sunday. The men have now been booked under Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for disrupting communal harmony.
While investigating the matter, police found the 15 men should have been booked under Section 153A and not under Section 124A (sedition). However, the conspiracy charge registered against them under IPC Section 120B still remains. All the accused, mostly youngsters, have been sent to Khandwa Jail.
"It's difficult to prove the sedition charge. Moreover, none of them has a criminal background. After initial investigation we found Section 153-A is more appropriate instead of Section 124-A,'' Burhanpur Superintendent of Police RR Parihar told the Indian Express.
Section 153A is imposed for "promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony."
The families of the accused on Tuesday said sedition charges will ruin their lives. They also alleged they were targeted because they are from a minority community. The families had given a representation to the President of India, national and state human rights commissions and national and state minority commissions.
Gulzar Kasam Tadvi, the father of one of the accused, had claimed all the accused were innocent and the crackers were probably burst by some other miscreants. The families also said there had been no incidents of communal violence in the village in the past.
Most of the accused are daily wagers while some own one or two acres of land.
