19 arrested for comments on Pahalgam terror attack
What's the story
In a major crackdown, police in Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya have arrested 19 people for their statements on the recent Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26, including a Navy officer and an Intelligence Bureau officer.
Among those arrested are an MLA, a journalist, students, a lawyer, and retired teachers.
Most of the arrests were made over social media posts.
Sedition charge
MLA detained for sedition over attack comments
The first arrest was of Aminul Islam, an MLA from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), an opposition party in Assam.
Islam has been booked for sedition for saying both the 2019 Pulwama attack and Tuesday's Pahalgam attack were "conspiracies by the government."
He has been sent to police custody for four days.
Further detentions
Additional arrests and their affiliations
Other arrests in Assam are Md Jabir Hussain (Hailakandi), Md AK Bahauddin and Md Javed Mazumder (Silchar), Md Mahahar Mia (Morigaon), and Md Sahil Ali (Sivasagar).
Ahmed alias Sahel was arrested for posting 'Pakistan Zindabad' on Facebook.
Hussain is a journalist; Bahauddin is a computer science student of Assam University, Silchar; and Mazumder is a lawyer.
Online comments
Anti-India comments lead to more arrests
Police on Saturday arrested Md Jarif Ali and Anil Bania of Biswanath for posting anti-India remarks on the internet. Bania is the district secretary of Satra Mukti Sangram Parishad, a student body.
Those arrested along with him include Sumon Mazumdar alias Bulbul Alom Mazumdar of Hailakandi, Mashud Azhar of Nagaon, and an unidentified man from Hajo near Guwahati—all for similar offenses.
Government response
Chief Minister warns of National Security Act
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warned that if need be, they would invoke provisions of the National Security Act on those arrested.
"We are examining all social media posts, and action will be taken against those who, we feel, are anti-national."
Sarma declared there were no similarities between India and Pakistan, saying "the two countries are enemy nations and we must remain that way."
Tripura arrests
Retired teachers among those arrested in Tripura
So far, four people have been arrested in Tripura, including two retired teachers.
Jawhar Debnath and Kuldip Mandal were detained for posting anti-national remarks on social media regarding the Pahalgam terror attack in Dhalai district.
Another retired teacher, Sajal Chakraborty, was arrested from Dharmanagar of North Tripura district, while Jahirul Islam was arrested from Sonamura in Sepahijala district.
Arrest in Meghalaya
Meghalaya man arrested for anti-national comment
A 30-year-old man, identified as Simon Shylla, was arrested on Friday in Meghalaya for posting an "anti-national" comment on a video broadcast by a news channel based out of Guwahati.
His arrest was part of the wider crackdown on people making comments in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.