Tricity voices disapproval of Aseem Trivedi arrest

The arrest of Aseem Trivedi, a political cartoonist on charges of sedition led to an outpouring of support for him from different parts of the country. Trivedi, known for his Cartoons Against Corruption was released on bail today. Rhea Sharma spoke to residents of the Tricity to ascertain their views on the issue.

"Politicians need to correct themselves first and only then should they point fingers at someone else. If the cartoonist expressed his views there is nothing wrong. Individual opinions should not be snubbed as the Constitution gives every individual equal rights. There cannot be infringement on the rights of an individual. The cartoonist expressed what he felt and it was a true expression of his feelings."

Ekta Nagpal, General secretary BJP, Mohali

"Sedition as an act must be removed. We claim to be a democracy, however we are far from a genuine democracy. The government needs to stop being jittery and immature about such issues. Individuals should have the right to express themselves as they wish to. The rights of an individual cannot be curbed."

Deepak Kumar, Chairperson, Department of Political Science

"The constitution gives every individual the right to express themselves freely. If an individual portrays his personal views in the manner he wishes to, there is nothing wrong in that. If people are not allowed to exercise the rights that they are entitled to, we would be far from a democracy. The authorities cannot book an individual under sedition as those are his personal views."

Vineet Jakhar, Law student, Panjab University

"This is an action that shows that the politicians are far away from understanding the pulse of the people. They cannot be making rules and dictating them as per their convenience. There should be a level of trust between the the leaders and the people. The citizens of the country should not be harassed. Freedom of expression is a constitutional right and hence it should be practiced but within parameters.

... contd.

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