What a mockery !!!!

Amulya's photo from her social media wall

One of Amulya Leona's social media posts explains how wishing good for any other country does not mean that you wish your country bad. In that post, she had raised the 'long live' slogans for all the neighboring countries; maintaining that such slogans would not take away her duty to respect her own nation. A few days after the post, in a protest rally against CAA-NRC in Bengaluru, Amulya probably wanted to explain this aspect to her audience. In what looks like a penchant for a 'bang on' opening remark she - almost sensationally - started of her speech wishing 'Pakistan' good, saying 'Long live Pakistan'. She could have started off by wishing well to say Bhutan or for that matter to India, as she did it on her social media post. Unfortunately, she didn't.

It was Asaduddin Owaisi's reaction that first did her in. He wanted Amulya to stop her speech then and there for raising that slogan and before she would go on to say 'Long live India' not once but thrice. On the exact gesture of an organizer, a police officer dragged her away from the stage, her mike taken away, as she was trying to unsuccessfully explain what it means to wish good for Pakistan and doing the same for India. Without even hearing her out fully, it seems that Owaisi had already made up his mind that the nineteen year old Amulya was pro Pakistan and therefore anti India! One hour later, that state of mind got transferred onto the entire country. A day later, it got itself transformed into the State arresting Amulya under 124A (Sedition), 153A (causing hatred between different groups) & 153B (assertions prejudicial to national integration) of Indian Penal Code.

What a mockery of a situation this is !!!!

For section 124A to be applied the speech / action should give rise to or instigate an 'imminent lawless action'. For one, where is the attempt to excite people to bring about to hate or contempt against the government, that the section demand? Amulya has said 'long Live Pakistan' and 'Log Live India'. There are two countries and not Governments. Even if it is implied that Amulya has inferred to the respective governments, where is the question of hate / contempt here? Unless it is erroneously and foolishly assumed that by wishing well for a different country and its government is actually wishing ill against one's own government!

Section 153A deals with promoting enmity between groups on religious, language and other grounds. I fail to understand how wishing another country well, along with wishing the same for one's own country would promote enmity among people or groups.  Do we as a people consider the people of Pakistan our enemy? We are surely angry and disappointed by its government for not reigning in its state actors and non state actors in bleeding India, but has India officially declared Pakistan as an enemy state? Aren't we still dealing with onions and electricity with our neighboring country and giving Adnan Sami our cherished citizenship?

Section 153B deals with imputations and assertions prejudicial to national-integration. By no stretch of imagination shouting 'Long live Pakistan' and 'Long Live India' or even asking people to shout the same would amount to national disintegration, unless of course wishing well for Pakistan or even urging people to do the same would corrupt the minds of gullible Indians to break their own country and its government.  

What a mockery of law this arrest is !!!!

If Amulya was allowed to continue her speech on the stage, she would probably have made her point well enough, which I would assume would probably have been the point made by her on her social media post. There are news reports of rumors of Asaduddin Owaisi and his party having secret pacts with the BJP for various electoral gains. Probably the Savarkar / Golwalkar bug filtered down to various sections of the susceptible people of India via the Sangh mechanisms has also got into Asaduddin Owaisi's system, so much so that he reacted the way he did on stage. The episode stink is more of Owaisi's anxiety to prove that he is Indian. Pity that it has come down to that.  

As for as the ruling dispensation goes, Amulya off late has been a strong youth voice of the pro constitution, anti CAA voice in Karnataka - never afraid to take on the Sangh Parivar at various levels. It would do immense benefit to the Parivar if this voice is jailed and silenced - albeit for a while till the courts take up the matter. Besides, it would be a perfect extended smoke screen for the economic mess that we are in now and our inability to cope up with it.

What a mockery of a mind this is !!!!