Protester chanting 'Pakistan Zindabad' at rally against India's citizenship act booked for sedition

Published
91
A woman who chanted 'Pakistan Zindabad' at a gathering against India's Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 was taken into police custody and charged with sedition, The Wire reported on Friday. — Screengrab courtesy ANI video
A woman who chanted 'Pakistan Zindabad' at a gathering against India's Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 was taken into police custody and charged with sedition, The Wire reported on Friday. — Screengrab courtesy ANI video

A woman who chanted "Pakistan Zindabad" at a gathering against India's Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 in Bengaluru was taken into police custody and has been booked for sedition, The Wire reported on Friday.

Amulya Leona chanted "Pakistan Zindabad" while on stage during the event after which she chanted "Hindustan Zindabad" before the microphone was taken from her.

The Indian publication added that Leona was taken into custody and police said they had initiated a sedition case against her.

Leona was sent on three-day judicial custody,The Wire reported citing ANI news agency. She was booked under Section 124(a) (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 153B (imputation, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) of the Indian Penal Code.

In a video clip of the protest, shared by ANI on Twitter, Leona can be heard chanting "Pakistan Zindabad" multiple times. Various individuals, including All India Majlis-i-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Asaduddin Owaisi, approach her and try to take the microphone from her hands. She then says "one second" and chants "Hindustan Zindabad" as the various individuals continue to try and take the microphone from her.

Even once the microphone was out of her hands, Leona continued to speak. She is eventually seen surrounded by a large crowd, including police, and is ushered off the stage.

According to The Wire, the video of Leona at the rally, which she was invited to address, has gone viral.

Owaisi later described Leona as a "so-called liberal" and asked all liberals to "refrain from any events involving Muslims", the publication added.

"Neither I nor my party has any link with her. We denounce her. The organisers should not have invited her here. If I had known this, I would not have come here. We are for India and we no way support our enemy nation Pakistan. Our entire drive is to save India," he was quoted as saying.

"If they (liberals) were so concerned about the Muslims and CAA, they should have their own Shaheen Bagh kind of protests," he added.

Additionally, The Hindu reported that individuals, allegedly Bharat Janatya Party (BJP) supporters, had thrown stones at Leona's father's house following her chant of "Pakistan Zindabad".

"They are all BJP supporters. They were in a group. I have complained to the police with the names of a few who led the group," her father Wazi was quoted as saying.

Opinion

Editorial

Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...
Terror and politics
Updated 29 Sep, 2026

Terror and politics

There is an urgent need to tone down the rhetoric and tackle terrorism as a collective challenge for both the affected provinces and the federation.
Watching the glaciers
29 Sep, 2026

Watching the glaciers

THE latest signs from Pakistan’s mountains are worrying. Suparco says the number of unfrozen glacial lakes it...
Dangerous agenda
29 Sep, 2026

Dangerous agenda

AS the world remains fixated on the US-Iran conflict, elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel is consolidating its grip...