Government may book Geelani and Arundhati

The Union Home Ministry has told Delhi police that a case of sedition can be registered against hardline separatist Huriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Booker prize winner Arundhati Roy for purportedly giving “hate speeches” at a seminar in the capital last week.

The Government is already under the fire of the BJP, which has taken a serious view of the speeches saying that no one has the right to break up the country.

At the seminar Geelani shared stage with writer Arundhati Roy and pro-Maoist leader Vara Vara Rao among others.

“Freedom of speech is a fundamental right, no doubt, but you can’t be speaking so much against the country and in such a tone, meaning to excite people who are working against this country,” said Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP Spokesperson.

Geelani, on the other hand, said it won’t make much of a difference for him to have an FIR slapped against his name.

” Already 90 FIRs have been registered against me, this will be the 91st,” he said.

Roy said Kashmir was historically not a part of India and accused the Government of being a colonising power.

Dilip Padgaonkar, Centre’s Interlocutor for Kashmir, said, “I think people should realise that their freedom of expression must not be construed by other people as abuse of that freedom. If the lines have been crossed, that is being seen and then whatever action needs to be taken will be taken. But I stand for the freedom of expression for all citizens.”