Hindu student at NIT Srinagar booked for alleged ‘blasphemy’ against Islam [ Jammu & Kashmir, India ]

[ Reported as seen ]

On 28 November, 2023, after sharing a video featuring the son of the former head of Hamas insulting Prophet Muhammad, a Hindu student at Srinagar National Institute of Technology (NIT) was arrested on charges of blasphemy. The accused NIT student, Prathmesh, posted on his Instagram story a video of Mosab Hassan Yousef criticising Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. The video has already gone viral.

On Tuesday, a FIR was filed against the suspected Hindu student after a large protest and sloganeering erupted on the NIT campus in response to the video. Despite the fact that the video did not depict the accused or that he made it, but rather posted a video altered by a YouTuber, Muslim students at NIT Srinagar sought his arrest, accusing him of blasphemy.

According to certain media sources, the student arrested for allegedly injuring religious sensibilities has been prevented from taking semester examinations and has been dismissed from college. According to the news outlet IANS, the school administration has placed the accused student on leave as a result of the event.

IGP Kashmir VK Birdi shared details regarding the event, saying that after getting information about the incident and a written letter from the registrar of the NIT campus demanding legal action, the police took action under applicable laws and initiated an inquiry into the situation.

“We received information this evening around 4.30 that some students are protesting at the NIT campus (in Srinagar).” Following an initial examination, it was discovered that a student had shared a video on social media. “It wasn’t his own post; he stole it from YouTube,” IGP Birdi explained.