MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Azad Kashmir’s renowned young activist Khawaja Mujtaba Bande has been arrested once again under the charges of sedition and raising anti-state slogans.
Kashmir Digital has brought to light the details of 15 different cases registered against Mujtaba Bande, a resident of Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the available information, cases have been registered against the accused under serious sections, including terrorism, sedition, writing slogans on walls, and other crimes.
According to the documents available with Kashmir Digital, most of the cases against Khawaja Mujtaba Bande are under trial, while he is under investigation in some cases.
The registered cases include various sections, including APC-337, 147, 148, 149, 341, 342, 505, 353, 186, and 153A, and action has been taken against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA-6).
Various cases have been registered against Bande for several political and protest activities, where he raised anti-state slogans and promoted anti-state propaganda.
Details of Mujtaba Bande cases
The first case against Mujtaba Bande was registered on May 7, 2016, in which he was accused of an altercation with Zaheer Abbasi. In this case, he was charged under sections 342, 504, and 170 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The second case was registered on February 12, 201,6 in connection with another altercation, in which sections 341, 337A, 147, 148, and 149 were included.
The courts have issued arrest warrants in the aforementioned cases.
In February 2021, he was accused of raising slogans against intelligence agencies and making provocative speeches during a rally, which led to an FIR being registered against him. Sections 153, 505, and other laws of the Pakistan Penal Code have been included in the case.
In October 2021, Mujtaba Bande and his associates were accused of attacking government employees during an operation against illegal constructions from Zero Point to the Fort. Sections 353, 186, and other laws have been registered against them in the FIR. The court has issued arrest warrants in this case too.
On June 25, 2022, another case was registered against Mujtaba Bande, in which he was accused of writing nationalist slogans, supporting AJK liberation on walls. Legal action was taken under the Wall Chalking Act 2001 in this FIR.
Another case was registered against him under several sections including the Terrorism Act for the attack on Bela Noor Shah Grid Station on May 10, 2024.
In addition to that, another FIR was registered on the same day for stone pelting on police on Bank Road in Muzaffarabad. Investigations into these cases are ongoing and the challan has not yet been presented in court.
In a new FIR registered on May 10, 2024, Khawaja Mujtaba Bande has been accused of attacking police and disturbing public order. This is the 11th time that the police have arrested him during the investigation in this case, after which further legal action is underway.
