The Mumbai Police on Tuesday registered four FIRs in connection with the protests held in the city in the last two days over the attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Police sources said all the FIRs were registered on a suo motu basis with the police as complainants. While two FIRs have been filed by the Colaba police, the others have been filed by the MRA Marg police.
DCP Pranaya Ashok, Mumbai Police spokesperson, said, “The Colaba police have booked Suvarna Salve, Firoz Mithiborwala and Umar Khalid for unlawful assembly at Gateway of India, while the second FIR has been filed against Mehak Mirza Prabhu, who held a ‘Free Kashmir’ banner during the protest. She has been booked for indulging in imputations or assertions prejudicial to national integration under the Indian Penal Code.”
Mr. Ashok said at MRA Marg police station, one offence has been registered against 31 protesters, including Ms. Salve, Mr. Mithiborwala and Mr. Khalid, for a protest rally from the Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India without prior permission. A separate case has been registered against members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad for protesting at Hutatma Chowk without police permission. In both the cases, they have been booked for unlawful assembly under the IPC.
On Tuesday evening, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Social Justice said in a statement that peaceful protests were held in various parts of the city as a spontaneous reaction to the violence against innocent JNU students. It said, “Many reputed people, including film stars, politicians and social activists, were present in these agitations. Similar demonstrations were held in various campuses and places across the country. The protests in the city were completely peaceful and democratic, causing no inconvenience to the traffic or the general population. The protesters made sure to cooperate with the police and authorities during their demonstrations.”
The statement said the city police’s FIR against the demonstrators was completely unjustified and undemocratic and reeked of high-handedness. This is nothing but an effort to gag dissenting voices against the government and sabotage democratic people’s right to hold peaceful protests.
The JAC said the FIR against Ms. Prabhu, despite her clarification, is detrimental to the constitutional freedom of expression. It said, “The case as well as the right-wing smear campaign against her is nothing but an effort to discredit a citizen-led movement against the discriminatory CAA-NRC-NPR. These cases are also in contrast to the State’s stand against the CAA and the NRC and its condemnation of violence in JNU. We demand that these cases be withdrawn immediately and peaceful protests across the State and the city be facilitated.”
