On Thursday, a 19-year-old college student, Amulya Leona, sparked controversy when she raised a pro-Pakistan slogan at an anti-CAA meeting in Bengaluru in which All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi was also present.
She was immediately taken into custody and subsequently produced before a judicial magistrate and sent to 14-day custody. A sedition case was also filed against her. She had later clarified that she was also chanting 'Hindustan Zindabad', and that her slogans just meant supporting the people of a nation.
Owaisi had denounced her action of saying “Pakistan Zindabad” and asserted "We are for India". He said he did not agree with the girl, whom he described as a "so-called liberal" and asked all liberals to refrain from any events involving Muslims.
It has come to light that hours before the incident, she had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a Facebook post. “Modiji loves Muslims. Modiji loves people from all religions,” she had said in a post written in Kannada.
Meanwhile, police had provided security to the girl's residence in Chikkamagaluru district after it was allegedly attacked by alleged right wing activists. A group of people had targeted her house at Gullagadde near Koppal on Thursday evening and window panes were damaged, following which her father had lodged a complaint.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said the woman had links with Naxals. "...the organisations that are behind people like Amulya and nurturing them, if we don't take action against such organisations, such things won't end," he had said, adding that prima facie it was clear there was an conspiracy going on to disturb law and order with such incidents.
"If organisations that are behind her are inquired into, things will come out. It is clear she had links with Naxals in the past. In this backdrop, she should be punished and action taken against organisations that are behind her," he said.
The chief minister noted that the girl's father himself has said she should be punished and not get bail and that he would not seek protection for her.
(With PTI inputs)
