Bengaluru witnessed a stir recently when Jnanabharati police took action against a 20-year-old college student. The action followed the widespread circulation of a video on social media, showing him wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the controversial ‘Azad Kashmir’ symbol, which quickly ignited public outrage and prompted demands for legal intervention.
The incident unfolded on September 23. The second-year private college student was casually riding as a pillion passenger on a two-wheeler when an observant passer-by captured the scene on video and subsequently uploaded it to social platforms.
Acting swiftly, Mohan Kumar, a police sub-inspector from the media monitoring cell, officially acknowledged the incident. An First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the student, charging him under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). This section pertains to actions that promote animosity between various groups based on factors such as religion, race, place of birth, residence, or language, and for engaging in acts that disrupt communal harmony. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Authorities successfully traced the young man using the registration details of his motorbike and promptly issued a summons for questioning. During his statement to the police, the accused claimed that a relative had given him the t-shirt as a gift, and he wore it without any malicious intent or understanding of its potential ramifications.