Court moved over ‘anti-India’ speech by Kashmiri separatist

CHANDIGARH - A human rights activist Saturday filed a petition in a local court demanding registration of a case against Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for his alleged anti-India speech at a seminar here earlier this week.

Judicial Magistrate Paramjeet Kaur fixed Dec 1 for the hearing.

Separatist leaders like Mirwaiz should not be allowed to move freely in public as they can severely disturb law and order situation of the country,” petitioner and lawyer Arvind Thakur, chairman of an NGO Global Human Rights Council (GHRC), told IANS.

“We strongly condemn his speech and want Chandigarh police to book him, he said.

It was very unfortunate that Mirwaiz gave a provocative speech in which he said that Kashmir was never a part of India, and easily went away. We want our judiciary to take serious note of this incident and direct police to book him.”

The Mirwaiz was also roughed up by displaced Kashmiri pandits and Hindu right-wing activists, who objected to his alleged anti-India and anti-Kashmir comments, at a seminar here Thursday.

During the seminar, protesters climbed tables and attacked the separatist leader. After the incident, Chandigarh police rounded up 21 people, including seven women.

The local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also demanded action against the Mirwaiz.

We will not remain a silent spectator to these anti-national activities. A delegation of the BJP would meet Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Shivraj Patil on Nov 29 and demand a probe in the whole episode,” said Sanjay Tandon, president of Chandigarh BJP.

“We also demand that a case registered against our party activists should be withdrawn failing which we will start an agitation, he added.