Bidar school case: Siddaramaiah demands withdrawal of sedition charges

BENGALURU: The Karnataka Congress, on Thursday, attacked the BJP government in the state for filing a case of sedition and harassing students, teachers and parents of Shaheen School in Bidar. It is the first time since the incident took place that the main opposition party in the state has taken a stand on the issue.
Former chief minister and opposition leader in the assembly Siddaramaiah in a series of tweets said the act of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s government that allowed the police to harass school management and children for staging a play is condemnable. “I urge the police to withdraw cases filed against the students, teachers & parents immediately. We are in an independent India & not under British Raj,” Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Referring to a recent incident where students of Sri Rama Vidya Kendra in Dakshina Kannada enacted Babri Masjid demolition and rebuilding of Ram temple, Siddaramaiah asked why the school management was not booked under sedition then. He said the school in Kalladka where the incident took place had defied all laws and had mocked the judiciary. RSS ideologue Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat is the founder of Sri Rama Vidya Kendra.

The Congress leader also attacked the BJP of “stooping to such a low” which he said, showed the party’s ideological bankruptcy. “Dictator is unveiling his draconian face as his position is weakening,” the former CM said.

Earlier this week, two Congress MLAs (Rizwan Arshad from Bengaluru’s Shivaji Nagar and Rahim Khan from Bidar) had visited two women - a parent and a teacher - in jail who are facing sedition charges.

Bidar police have come under extensive criticism in handling school children and for booking sedition charges in response to a play that children staged opposing CAA and NRC. Bidar police have visited the school five times and have questioned 85 children.

A group of like-minded citizens representing various organisations gathered outside the office of Karnataka’s director general of police in Bengaluru on Thursday, raising questions over the police action. They urged the DGP to withdraw criminal cases against the accused and stop interrogation of children in the name of inquiry.

The protesters later said the DGP has assured them that no more interrogation of children will take place and the police will be sympathetic to the accused on bail application.