After the release, journalist Siddique Kappan told reporters he is happy. “It has been 28 months. I am out after a lot of fight,” he said.
After the release, journalist Siddique Kappan told reporters he is happy. “It has been 28 months. I am out after a lot of fight,” he said.
Kappan and three others were arrested in October 2020 as they were their way to Hathras where a Dalit woman died allegedly after being raped. They were accused of trying to instigate violence over the death of the Hathras woman.
Police had alleged that Kappan had links with the now-banned Popular Front of India and charged him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The FIR submitted against Kappan in Mathura court charged him with Section 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Information Technology Act.
Journalist Kappan’s incarceration received criticism from activists and politicians. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed happiness that "eventually Article 21 of the Constitution has triumphed" as Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan walked out of jail after over two years.
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