A 19-year-old woman from Assam has been in jail since May for her Facebook post allegedly supporting a banned outfit. Now, amid growing demands for her release and a backlash on social media, the police have said her arrest was "as per law"
Barshashree Buragohain was arrested and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA on May 18 this year in Uriamghat in Golaghat district for her post titled 'Akou Korim Rashtra Droh' (will again rebel against the nation).
"This is not a case of sedition, it's a case of waging war against nation which is non-negotiable for any law enforcement agency and therefore as per mandate of law the case has been registered," Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) GP Singh told NDTV.
This comes after the parents of the second-year student of Mathematics at Jorhat's DCB College urged Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the police to release her from jail so that she could appear for her exams. The examinations are scheduled to be held later this month.
Ms Buragohain, however, is likely to miss the exams as police said it is "legally bound" to prosecute her.
Mr Singh, in a Twitter post, said, "There is a specific call to indulge in waging war against the State in her Facebook post. When someone publicly professes support for a banned organisation and declares intent of waging war against the Indian state, we are legally bound to prosecute that person. Following due process, a chargesheet shall be filed in a competent court of law. Let the law take its own course".
Meanwhile DGP of Assam police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, yesterday told reporters, "She was not arrested for writing a poem. She was arrested for encouraging others to join the outfit."
