Students charged with attempt to murder

Students and youngsters, who faced brutal lathicharge on August 9, 2012, at Delhi’s Parliament Street where they had gathered to march to Parliament demanding the right to “equitable education and dignified employment”, while campaigning against organised corruption, have now been slapped with some serious charges including "Attempt to Murder\\\’.

Here is the full statement by AISA:

On 9 August 2012, thousands of students and young people from all over the country under the banner of All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA) marched to Parliament, protesting corporate plunder and the UPA government’s pro-corporate scams, and demanding equitable education and dignified employment, they were severely lathicharged by the police. Several of them sustained head injuries and broken limbs.

Four months later, a notice from the Parliament Street Police Station was delivered to the AISA office, addressed to Anmol Ratan, an office bearer of AISA in Delhi. The notice u/s 160 CRPC, summoned Anmol to the Parliament Street thana on 9 December, with relation to ‘investigation’ taking places in cases under sections 186,353,188, 147, 148, 149, 323, 427, 452, 307 and 34 IPC and 3 PDPP Act. It warned Anmol that legal action would be initiated against him if he failed to respond to the notice.

Students, who marched peacefully to Parliament, are being charged with serious criminal cases including ‘attempt to murder’! This, when in fact, it was students who were beaten up and injured by police batons on the occasion. Slapping criminal cases on students who were peacefully protesting corruption and demanding their rights, is yet another instance of the dangerous trend of criminalizing dissent.

We appeal to you to strongly protest this attempt to victimize and intimidate students.