New Delhi: Condemning the witch-hunt of Journalists, Twitter users on Monday started a campaign on the micro-blogging site demanding the release of Journalist Prashant Kanojia.
The campaign that started at 4 pm on Monday, soon caught the pace and #ReleasePrashantKanojia was one of the top three trending topics on Twitter India at the time of posting this report, with over 20,000 tweets in less than two hours.
Journalist Prashant Kanojia was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police on August 18 from his residence in Delhi in connection with a tweet that he posted from his Twitter account.
“There were five-six people. Only one of them was in uniform. The rest were in civil clothes. At first, they gave us no reason as to why he was being arrested, except to say that orders had come from above.” Prashant’s wife Jagisha Arora had said after his arrest.
The FIR alleges that Kanojia had tweeted a morphed Facebook post by Sushil Tiwari of the Hindu Army, with the intent of defaming the latter.
The FIR notes that Kanojia’s tweet was objectionable and could have resulted in disturbing communal harmony, create tension between different communities, and hurt religious feelings, which can threaten law and order.
His wife Arora, however, had said, “He had not tweeted this at all. Someone edited that image to make it look so. I am 100 percent sure that he has not tweeted anything of the sort.”
This isn’t the first time Kanojia has had run-ins with the law. Earlier this year, an FIR was filed against him for making “objectionable remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on social media.
Several top political leaders and activists including Jignesh Mevani, Swara Bhasker and others tweeted in support of the campaign and demanded his release.
Here are some of the tweets from Monday’s campaign that demanded Kanojia’s release.
NOTE: The claims made in the tweets embedded below or the ideas presented in them are those solely of the users. Vartha Bharati does not guarantee the authenticity of any of the claims or does not necessarily endorse, support the ideas, views posted by any of the users.
Prashant Kanojia has been arrested twice in two years by the same UP Police. It simply indicates that the brahmanical nexus of state- police is hellbent to take 'revenge' from bahujans who question them.#ReleasePrashantKanojia
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) September 28, 2020
#PrashantKanojia is in jail for a tweet.. that did no harm.. meanwhile @KapilMishra_IND ............ ??♀️??♀️??♀️??♀️ #NewIndia #ReleasePrashantKanojia https://t.co/6OGloLWmbb
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) September 28, 2020
UP is the worst state in India where journalists are arrested for dissent. I stand with Prashant Kanojia and demand #ReleasePrashantKanojia
— پربھا (@deepsealioness) September 28, 2020
Rise in rage against the attack on dissent. The Modi- Yogi duo wants to establish an authoritarian rule. But we shall stand fiercely upholding our Constitution!
— AISA Delhi (@aisa_delhi) September 28, 2020
Shame on UP police!!#ReleasePrashantKanojia
Prashant Kanojia's Partner Appeals For Twitter Trend To Demand Journalist's Release
— Indias Muslims (@IndiasMuslims) September 28, 2020
Jagisha Arora said in a video that @PJkanojia was arrested for standing up to the government and speaking up for women, Dalits and Muslims#ReleasePrashantKanojia https://t.co/pRNbtDn56j
We stand in solidarity with Prashant Kanojia. He has been targeted for speaking out against this system, for speaking against the power.
— Power of Socialism (@PoS__community) September 28, 2020
Targeting of dissenting voices has been the method of this authoritarian government.#ReleasePrashantKanojia ✋✋@PoS__community ? pic.twitter.com/AHEMQuJDo1
Constitution gave us the space to exercise freedom of speech. Then why has it become a crime under Modi-Yogi regime? Free Prashant Kanojia! Free all political prisoners!#ReleasePrashantKanojia
— Damni Kain (@DamniKain) September 28, 2020
Prashant Kanojia has been arrested twice in two years by the same UP Police. It simply indicates that the brahmanical nexus of state- police is hellbent to take 'revenge' from bahujans who question them.#ReleasePrashantKanojia
— Jagisha Arora (@jagishaarora) September 28, 2020
Stop attacking Dalit Intellectuals, Activists, Journalists and Lawyers. #ReleasePrashantKanojia
— Hritik #DalitLivesMatter (@Rittikated) September 28, 2020
Journalist @PJkanojia is the voice of Bahujans. His arrest is a targetted attack on Bahujan activism. Anti-caste activists are hated by Left, Right & Centre, hence there's hardly any voice in support of him.
— Deepika Singh (@Deepika_Theias) September 28, 2020
Stop harrassing anti-caste activists and #ReleasePrashantKanojia.
Babasaheb is behind us and we will surely win. Jai bhim.#ReleasePrashantKanojia pic.twitter.com/y4vwrqkgUb
— dimple yadav (@dimpleydv_) September 28, 2020
We need to speak today for a great
— Saira Ambedkar (घर में रहें-सुरक्षित रहें) (@SairaAmbedkar) September 28, 2020
voice that always raised against wrong.#ReleasePrashantKanojia pic.twitter.com/uOO4Gkss1J
Prashant bhai always spoke for us.
— Buffalo Intellectual ? (@BuffaloSpeaks) September 28, 2020
He spoke against caste atrocities,
for Muslims, for women & against Fascists.
Now its time for us to speak for him!! Stand with him!
Twitter storm- #ReleasePrashantKanojia
Journalist @PJkanojia is languishing in jail because
— Shahid (@Shahid_Naim007) September 28, 2020
1. He Fights for Truth
2. He stands against atrocities
3. He speaks up for weak
4. He is fearless
5. He asks tough questions to goverment
Yes we all say aloud #ReleasePrashantKanojia pic.twitter.com/9steLKeV59
Over 300 #Journalists, writers & activists have signed a public statement condemning journalist @PJkanojia arrest by the UP police
— Tanya Yadav (@TanyaYadav128) September 28, 2020
~ via @roshan_b
#ReleasePrashantKanojia
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Srinagar (PTI): Normal life in Kashmir was affected for the fifth consecutive day as partial restrictions on movement of people remained in force as a precautionary measure.
The restrictions were imposed on Monday after spontaneous protests broke out across Kashmir a day earlier against the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israel joint strikes.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday held a meeting with civil society representatives and religious leaders as part of efforts to bring the situation back to normalcy.
ALSO READ: Protests against Khamenei's killing: Curbs remain in force in Kashmir
After the meeting, Abdullah appealed to people to maintain peace while expressing grief and anger in "mosques, shrines and Imambaras".
The government has shut educational institutions till Saturday, and reduced mobile internet speeds.
"Restrictions on the movement and assembly of the people continued in many parts of Kashmir on Thursday," the officials said.
A large number of police and paramilitary CRPF personnel were deployed across the city to prevent gatherings of protestors, the officials said.
They added that concertina wires and barricades were placed at important intersections leading into the city, while asserting that these were precautionary measures imposed to maintain law and order.
The iconic Ghanta Ghar in the city centre of Lal Chowk here continued to remain a no-go zone after the authorities sealed area with barricades erected all around it on late Sunday night.
The move to seal the Ghanta Ghar came after it witnessed massive protests on Sunday after Khamenei's assassination in the joint air strikes by the US and Israel.
This is the first time since August 2019 -- when Article 370 was revoked -- that protests on such a large scale have taken place in Kashmir.
