Bengaluru, Days after an ABVP protest over an event concerning Jammu and Kashmir in the Azim Premji University here, the varsity’s student council on Thursday expressed concern over an FIR registered against the members of a reading circle.
It urged the administration to reconsider pursuing criminal action against the students connected to the SPARK reading circle.
In a statement, the council said that organising a campus event without prior administrative approval may constitute a breach of University protocol. However, it is of the view that such a breach is best addressed through the University’s own internal mechanisms such as the disciplinary committee, rather than through an FIR.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a demonstration recently against the university, alleging that an event at the institution was promoting separatism and secession of Jammu and Kashmir and an “insult” to the Indian Army.
Raising slogans, activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad smeared the university’s nameplate with black ink and claimed that the event was part of a larger agenda to “divide” India and Kashmir.
The protesters alleged that a programme conducted inside the campus by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) backed organisation Spark opposed India and promoted anti-national thoughts.
In an official statement, the university had said that it had not authorised any event of this nature, saying the University follows strict procedures before any event is held on campus.
According to police, a complaint was filed by the administration, alleging that an Instagram page named “Spark Reading Circle, APU” circulated a post calling for a discussion on the 1991 Kunan-Poshpora incident without obtaining prior permission and triggered unrest on the campus.
The poster of the programme organised by the agitators read, “Kunan-Poshpora saw one of the most gruesome incidents of alleged mass rape on the intervening night of February 23-24, 1991.” “35 years on, not a single conviction has taken place. Despite there being constant pressure to close the case, the victims are still fighting an unequal battle for justice. This is just one among numerous instances of violence inflicted on the people of Kashmir,” the poster by Spark, a students’ body, wrote.
Based on the complaint filed on February 24, a case was registered under section 299 (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religious beliefs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant section of the IT Act at Sarjapura police station.
As per the FIR, the social media post invited students to attend a discussion at a place inside the university premises at 6 pm on February 24. The administration stated that no written permission had been sought or granted for conducting such a programme.
The university administration has alleged that the Instagram page misused the name of the institution and had earlier also posted content concerning the university, it said.
It has sought identification of the persons operating the “Spark Reading Circle, APU” account and requested that appropriate legal action be taken against them.
The student council said it was particularly concerned about what it described as an “asymmetry in outcomes” following recent events on the campus.
“Those who entered this campus uninvited, caused physical harm to members of our community, and damaged university property have been granted bail and face bailable charges. Meanwhile, our students who organised a peaceful gathering, whatever the procedural lapses, are now subject to a non-bailable offence under Section 299,” the statement said.
The council said the university’s education actively encourages critical engagement with history, politics, and social justice.
“We are taught to ask hard questions, and have considered the university to be a safe space for open discussions. For the administration to respond to students doing exactly that with a criminal FIR undermines the very intellectual freedom this institution is founded on,” it added.>
