Last Monday, a Kashmiri college student at AMU in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India was booked on charges of promoting hatred & anti-nationalism & expelled from school for commenting on a FB post about the attack on the Indian army base in Uri, Kashmir.

He suggested that the operation was stage-managed by India–not at all a far-fetched theory for several reasons–& he referred to the soldiers killed as “swine.” Maybe the epithet wasn’t the smartest or most politic to use but one can understand his anger after 11 weeks of violence in Kashmir. A little rough language should hardly violate free speech rights in a democracy. But according to the Vice Chancellor who expelled him, the police informed the university about the post.

Indian authorities are monitoring FB. Despite that, Kashmiri activists, including Khurram Parvez before he was arrested, continue to post about what is going on. Indian human rights activists also continue to report & render solidarity. That makes it all the more important that those of us outside the reach of Indian authorities stand with Kashmiri & Indian activists in telling the truth about this barbarous occupation for the purpose of building a solidarity movement to help end it.
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(On a personal note, many may think I’ve become a “Johnny-One-Note” about Kashmir. I even received messages saying I have an adopt-a-cause mentality or a white savior complex. Save the small-minded criticisms for someone who gives a rat’s ass. If you don’t understand the nature of solidarity with the oppressed, maybe politics is over your head & you should consider taking up the harmonica instead.)