19 year old arrested for anti CAA slogans, Amulya Leona Noronha gets bail

19 year old protestor arrested for 'anti national' slogans, Amulya Leona Noronha has got bail from a magistrate court. She was arrested in February on sedition charges for saying “Pakistan Zindabad” in a rally protesting the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA).

On June 10th, a sessions court rejected her bail petition but early on 12th June, a magistrate’s court granted the college student “default bail” saying the police had not submitted the chargesheet to the court within the stipulated 90 days. Police in Bengaluru were due to file a chargesheet on May 20, when the 90-day period since her arrest ended, but did so only on June 3.

She was arrested in Bengaluru by the police at an anti-CAA protest held at Freedom Park in February in which Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had taken part.

As reported by SheThePeople on 22nd Feb, Noronha was forced off the stage mid-sentence while saying Hindustan Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad at an event. She was cut off midway. Reports says she trying to tell the audience that 'all nations are one in the end' but her mic had been taken away and she was cut off in the middle.

The story found its way on social media, courtesy a viral video, and Noronha was booked for sedition igniting animosity between communities and disrupting peace.

Amulya is a journalism student and has been lodged in jail for over four months now.

After her arrest, Noronha had issued statement clarifying her stance. “There have been instances where those opposing CAA are advised to migrate to Pakistan. People also raise ‘Hindustan Zindabad‘ slogans in speeches aimed at hitting back at the CAA detractors. The gathering hails India on such occasions. But when ‘Pakistan Zindabad‘ slogan is raised, the audience keeps quiet. When the gathering remains silent, it denotes their patriotism. None responded when I shouted ‘Pakistan Zindabad‘. I wanted to say next that all of us are Indians, and had planned to raise ‘Hindustan Zindabad‘ slogan thereafter. But once I hailed Pakistan, the microphone was snatched away. Even though I requested for an opportunity to complete my address, no one listened to my request,” she stated as per a report in Daiji World.

Amulya, a young and powerful speaker has been a regular at anti-CAA rallies. According to a report, "her friends later said she was trying to convey a message of universal humanity by hailing all nations, including India, as reflected in her social media posts."

He parents are reportedly not in favour of her anti-CAA stance.

Picture Credit: Walikali