Indian police drops sedition charges against 15 men celebrating Pakistan's victory

Men were arrested for chanting pro-Pakistan slogans following Pakistan's victory in the Champions Trophy final

Indian police has dropped sedition charges against 15 Muslims for allegedly chanting pro-Pakistan slogans following Pakistan's victory in the Champions Trophy final.

The 15 men were charged with sedition by the Madhya Pradesh police for chanting pro-Pakistan slogans and bursting firecrackers. However, three days after the incident, sedition charges against the men were dropped and the police have now charged them with Section 153 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for disturbing communal harmony.



“It’s difficult to prove the sedition charge. Moreover, none of them has a criminal background. After initial investigation we found Section 153-A is more appropriate instead of Section 124-A,’’ The Indian Express quoted Burhanpur SP RR Parihar as saying.

The move came after family members of the accused urged the president of India, national and state human rights commissions and national and state minority commissions for their release.



According to the father of one of the accused, the men were innocent and that some 'miscreants' may have burst the crackers.

Pakistan beat India by 180 runs on June 18 in their first-ever final appearance in the Champions Trophy and won their first-ever silverware at The Oval courtesy an all-round show.