Free Kashmir Posters At CAA Protests Stir Row

First it was Mumbai. The Sunday violence and vandalism at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), left people across the nation outraged. It saw a protest at the Gateway of India where a young woman was seen holding a poster which read, 'Free Kashmir'. This in turn, led to widespread condemnation by many BJP leaders, including Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and party spokesman, Sambit Patra.

The sharp reaction prompted the Shiv Sena-led government to slap a case against the young woman at the Mumbai protest, later identified as Mehak Mirza Prabhu. The demonstrator, who describes herself as a storyteller, put out a video saying that she had picked up a placard which was lying around. She claimed that she held it to show her protest against the internet and mobile service restrictions in the Kashmir valley.

The NCP downplayed her protest and on Thursday, party supremo, Sharad Pawar called for withdrawal of all cases against protesters at the Gateway of India. Earlier, Shiv Sena leader, Sanjay Raut pointed to this when he observed that the demonstrator did not mean freedom from India and had put out a clarification. Media reports said that the Maharashtra Home Minister, Anil Deshmukh also expressed similar views.

On Tuesday, another such 'Free Kashmir' poster surfaced at a protest the violence at JNU in St. Stephens College in the national capital. It led to severe criticism again from the BJP and before the row died down, there were reports of another such poster for 'azadi' in Kashmir being seen in a demonstration at the Mysuru university. The Mysuru police promptly charged the organisers of the protest with sedition.

Meanwhile, as the war of words over these provocative posters continues, it remains to be seen how things pan out as protests show no sign of ebbing in some campuses, though they may be few in number.