Father of journalism student Amulya Leona, was heckled and intimidated outside his house on Thursday night by members of pro-Hindu groups and one local BJP leader. Amulya Leona was arrested by the Bengaluru police on Thursday for saying 'Pakistan Zindabad' on stage at an organised by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Hindu Muslim Sikh Isaai Federation.
Amulya has been booked for sedition and is currently in judicial custody. A video of Amulya’s father being heckled by three men went viral on Thursday night after the arrest was made. Amulya’s father, can be seen opening the door and he recognises the three men. The first thing he asks is, “Are you here to kill me?”
“Do you justify what your daughter did? Do you think what your daughter did was right?” asks a man in a blue T-shirt. The man in the video is former BJP taluk panchayat leader Rakesh Hirekodige. Amulya’s father says he condemns what his daughter did. "What my daughter said was 100% wrong. She should not have said that," her says.
“What will you do once your daughter comes out on bail?” Rakesh asks.
“I don’t want her to come outside. Let her stay in jail for six months. I will let her inside my house, she is my daughter. But let her not come now. What she said was wrong, I admit it. Let them break her hands and legs," he says.
But the men persist and ask how the father can let Amulya in the house after the 'traitorous things' she has said.
Amulya’s father is finally made to give a statement on camera. “I will not tolerate that my daughter said Pakistan Zindabad. Recently she has been mingling with people from the Muslim community and has been saying unacceptable things. I have tried to counsel her about this many times and over the last five days, I have not been in touch with her. Let the authorities take the necessary action against her,” he says.
Rakesh then asks him whether he would post his daughter’s bail. Amulya’s father says he will not pay for her bail. “She has hurt not just me but everyone in my family. Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” he says.
What happened at Freedom Park
Amulya Leona, who was called as a speaker at an event in which AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi also participated, began her speech by saying “Pakistan Zindabad” thrice. Owaisi, and organisers of the event tried to pull her away and did not allow her to continue speaking. Amulya however went on to say Hindustan Zindabad thrice.
"There is a difference between Pakistan Zindabad and HIndustan Zindabad. The reason why I said Pakistan Zindabad...”, she was heard saying. However, she was dragged off the stage by the police before she finished the sentence.
Five days before she was slated to speak at the event, Amulya had put up a Facebook post which said “Zindaba to all countries”.
On February 16, Amulya had written a Facebook post which said, “Hindustan Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad, Bangladesh Zindabad, Sri Lanka Zindabad, Nepal Zindabad, Afghanistan Zindabad, China Zindabad, Bhutan Zindabad, No matter which country, Zindabad to all countries.”
There are many who have criticised the case of sedition and Owaisi's reaction:
Idiotic to charge her with sedition! At worst, she showed bad judgment in displaying Southasianist zeal at an event where the point she was making (that India, Pak shud not see each other as enemies) was bound to be misconstrued. But this is not a crime! https://t.co/p9snyKYymc
— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) February 21, 2020
This is a disturbing mob attack on a young woman who was clearly trying to say that loving Hindustan doesn't mean hating Pakistan. @asadowaisi your muscle handed this girl over to cops, but you won't do anything to @warispathan for communalising Shaheen Bagh? You stand exposed. https://t.co/8I0hh9wiqB
— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) February 20, 2020
Yes she is immature,brash, vocal. but what amulya wanted to convey what sri sri said in an open meeting.Universal love for all humans irrespective of their nationality which is what all great religions profess. But she chose the wrong stage&wrong moment.https://t.co/oHz27fnTvU
— sashikanth senthil (@s_kanth) February 21, 2020