Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi's kin take 'sedition' fight to govt, force aid promise

Supporters and family members of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, arrested for allegedly posting seditious content on his web portal, today protested outside the residence of Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, who assured them of providing all possible help to the artiste.

Ashok Trivedi, father of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, today along with several protestors from Kanpur and neighbouring Unnao gathered outside Jaiswal's residence to express their outrage and demanded his release.

After meeting the protestors, Jaiswal, who is a Member of Parliament from Kanpur, promised that authorities will look into the charges made and will provide him with all possible assistance. He also said if needed he will try to approach the Maharashtra government to discuss the matter.

Trivedi was arrested on Saturday and produced in a Mumbai court on Sunday which sent him to police custody till September 16. He was arrested following a complaint that he had put up banners mocking the Indian Constitution during the Anna Hazare rally held last year in Mumbai and had also uploaded obscene content on his website.

Aseem's father Ashok claimed that his son was innocent and that it was an irony that the 24-year-old had been arrested on charges of sedition when his grandfather Reva Shankar Trivedi had been a freedom fighter and had gone behind bars for India's freedom struggle.

"Aseem's grandfather was a freedom fighter and had fought for the country's freedom. Do you expect Aseem to do something that insults the country? He only used his freedom of speech and in turn he has been charged of sedition," Ashok said.

Ashok said, his son Aseem, a native of neighbouring district Unnav, had an inclination towards drawing since childhood and had worked as a cartoonist with several Kanpur-based newspapers before moving to Delhi one-and-half year ago as a freelance cartoonist.

He exhibited his cartoons during the Anna Hazare rally held last year at the Bandra Kurla Complex after coming in contact with 'India Against Corruption', he added.

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