Jamshoro police has lodged a sedition case against some students of Sindh University, Jamshoro for allegedly chanting anti-Pakistan slogans and for being involved in wall chalking against the state, it emerged on Tuesday.

The case, registered against at least 17 students of the university, was lodged under Section 120-A (definition of criminal conspiracy), 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy), 123-A (condemnation of the creation of the state, and advocacy of abolition of its sovereignty), 124 (assaulting president, governor, etc. with intention to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power) and 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Inspector Ghulam Qadir Panhwar, the security head of the campus.

A copy of the FIR registered against the students. — Provided by author

The booked include Ayaz Hussain Khoso, Faraz Ahmed Chandio, Ansar Ali Buriro, Rashid Ali Zardari, Nadir Ali Lakhair, Umed Ali Shah, Lakhmir Zardari, Saifullah, Salamat Zounr, Yousuf Jatoi, Danish Nagraj, Zaib Jatoi, Halar, and four unidentified students.

The complainant said that on October 31 the hostel in-charge Qamar Lashari, Niaz Buledi, and provost Shahab Ahmed Soomro had informed him that around 17 to 18 students of the Jeay Sindh group had raised slogans against Pakistan as well as against the government of the country and had been involved in wall chalking outside the boys' hostel's main gate.

Inspector Panhwar said he was informed that the students were creating lawlessness in the institution. He claimed that after receiving the information, he reached the site of the incident and found that the students were carrying flags of Jeay Sindh, were raising slogans against Pakistan, and were engaging in wall chalking against the state.

According to Panhwar, after seeing the police, the students moved towards the hostel while continuing to chant slogans such as "Sindhu Desh, Na Khapey Na Khapey Pakistan, we will break Pakistan".

The complainant said he himself and the hostel in-charge clearly identified the students involved.

Students deny treason allegations

The students booked in the case rejected the allegations against them and said that they had staged the protest against water shortage in the hostel. They denied the allegations that they were carrying Jeay Sindh flags, raising anti-Pakistan slogans or wall chalking against the country.

The students said their semester examinations are going to begin on December 2 and by bringing out such a case against them, the administration was harassing them and toying with their future. They accused the university administration of resorting to vindictive actions against them and said they didn't believe they would get justice from the courts.

The bail of four of the students booked under sedition charges was approved today by a court in Kotri, Jamshoro district.

VC says SU administration not consulted over FIR, says students were protesting over water shortage

Meanwhile, Sindh University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Fateh Mohammad Burfat told Dawn.com that the SU administration had not been consulted before the First Information Report (FIR) was registered.

Burfat said that on October 31, the concerned students had held a protest against a water shortage but they had not raised anti-Pakistan slogans nor were they carrying Jeay Sindh flags.

Burfat said he will speak to the police and investigate how such an FIR was registered.