"I believe what the students did was wrong and misguided but they certainly didn't deserve to have charges of sedition slapped against them.
"I believe the university did what it had to, to control the situation, but this action by the UP government is uncalled for and should be reversed," Omar wrote on Twitter.
Around 60 Kashmiri students at Swami Vivekananda Subharti University in Meerut were expelled for three days from the hostel after they allegedly supported Pakistan cricket team against India in the Asia Cup match between the two sides on Sunday last. Sedition charges were slapped against unnamed students today.
SSP, Meerut, Omkar Singh said that on the basis of the complaint submitted by university chancellor P K Garg, unnamed Kashmiri students have been booked under section 124 A (sedition), 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 427 (mischief) of IPC.
Omar said slapping sedition charge against Kashmiri students was an "unacceptably harsh punishment" that will ruin the future of the students and will further alienate them.
Have just spoken to CM UP who has assured me he will personally look in to the matter of the Kashmiri students in Meerut.
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) March 6, 2014
"I will talk to UP CM ASAP (as soon as possible) and intervene on behalf of these misguided students to have this charge of sedition removed," he added. Omar, however, said the students did not commit any illegal act, irrespective of the team they were cheering for.
"Finally while what the boys may have done in Meerut is misguided, it certainly isn't illegal, regardless of who them (sic) were cheering," he said.
The chief minister said the students should introspect their actions as they had been selected under the Prime Minister's special scholarship scheme.
"The sad fact is that some of these students are recipients of the PM scholarship for Kashmiris. Perhaps they need to introspect," he added.
PDP demands withdrawal of sedation charge against students
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demanded that sedition charge slapped against Kashmiri students in Meerut for allegedly cheering Pakistan team during a cricket match that India lost should be dropped and UP government and the university apologize to them.
"As reported in certain sections of media, the university authorities have admitted that only some among the 200 (Kashmiri) students were troublemakers. Yet they have dished out collective punishment to all by packing them off. This reflects a fascist mindset," PDP chief spokesman Nayeem Akhtar told reporters here.
"Samajwadi Party and BJP have come together against Kashmiri students for gaining political mileage out of a non-issue," he alleged.
"VIPs like Prime Ministers or Presidents have in the past attended India-Pakistan matches and applauded the rival team's performance. That time we project it as tolerance and friendship and for Kashmiri students, the same act becomes sedition," he said.
Akhtar referred to praise lavished by former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Indian captain M S Dhoni.
The PDP spokesman said the sedition charge against the students should be withdrawn and they be taken back in the university.
"The UP government and university authorities should also apologise to the students as they are not aware who had created trouble. The fact that the FIR was lodged based on complaint filed by local BJP unit makes the entire episode fishy," he alleged.
Meanwhile, ruling National Conference (NC) also expressed anger over the sedition charge, saying the students neither tried to bring down the government nor harm the national integrity.
"Expulsion of the students and then registration of a case of sedition against the students is injustice and smells of double standards," additional general secretary of National Conference Sheikh Mustafa Kamal said.
He appealed to the university to take back the students immediately in order to save their academic time.
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