Police have dropped sedition charge slapped on 14 Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) after the recent protests on the campus, citing lack of evidence.
The students were booked for sedition after Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) district president Mukesh Lodhi alleged that he was assaulted by some students who chanted pro-Pakistan slogans, police said.
Aligarh Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Kulhari on Friday said the charge was dropped three days back as there was no evidence to support it.
He said there was no video proof or any other evidence to support the claim that anti-India or pro-Pakistan slogans were raised by some students during clashes between two groups at the University Circle on February 12.
The clashes appeared to have been triggered by reports that AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen) leader Asaduddin Owaisi was visiting the campus. The BJYM had demanded a ban on the visit.
There was also an altercation between some students and a news channel’s crew that had come to cover the anticipated visit, which never took place.
Student's house raided
Meanwhile, on Friday, police raided a house in Noida looking for Kashmiri student Basim Hilal over a tweet mocking the security forces after the Pulwama terror attack.
They failed to find the student who has already been suspended by the AMU authorities. A case under section IPC 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups) had been registered against him.