Now Reading: Kishore, AISA slam Karnataka FIR over ‘Free Umar Khalid’ posters
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Kishore, AISA slam Karnataka FIR over ‘Free Umar Khalid’ posters
Actor Kishore and All India Students Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government on Sunday, August 23, at a Gen Z Rising seminar in Bengaluru over an FIR…
Actor Kishore and All India Students Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora criticised the Congress-led Karnataka government on Sunday, August 23, at a Gen Z Rising seminar in Bengaluru over an FIR against an unidentified woman for displaying posters supporting jailed activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The event, organised by AISA, questioned why the state police were acting against placards even as the Congress claimed solidarity with student protests in Delhi.
Neha accused the Karnataka government of hypocrisy and said parties opposing the BJP must move beyond symbolic solidarity. The FIR was registered by Upparpet police on July 24 under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly provoking a riot. Police said the woman's placards, including ones reading "Umar Khalid Zindabad" and "Ukhaad Le BLR Police", were intended to incite unrest.
Kishore cited the 12th-century Vachana movement to argue that real solidarity acknowledges difference. He questioned why remembering a political prisoner is treated as a threat. Neha also condemned Azim Premji University for suspending students and filing an FIR over a campus reading circle. She spoke about the ongoing GenZ Rising campaign and student protests across states including Jharkhand, West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The core issue is the legal boundary between free expression and incitement under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Section 192, invoked here, is the successor to the colonial-era Section 153A of the IPC, historically used against dissent. The case echoes earlier FIRs in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh against slogans supporting Umar Khalid, who has been in jail since 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The Karnataka government's next step will be the police report to the magistrate, which will determine whether the charge sticks or the case is dropped. Watch for whether the state government issues any direction to withdraw the FIR.
Source: thenewsminute.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
