[san_dimitri]

Looks like this nationalist Indian government is very thin skinned and cannot take any form of criticism directed towards its policies and laws. Sad. Any form of government which takes such extreme steps towards its citizens for expressing their opinion in a non violent manner has lost its credibility to uphold the constitution.

[sbmthakur]

The play in the context actually called for "beating" someone. That doesn't sound like doing things in a "non-violent" manner.

[ak39]

What are you defending or advocating here exactly? Are you justifying the forced detention by police of 9 year olds for participating in a school play?

[lordleft]

Even the best case scenario of this story is egregious in a democratic society, and it's really shocking to see folks scramble to defend it.

[kposehn]

Beating “with chappals” which are slippers.

[hexagone]

Three lines from the play were highlighted.

>“The government is telling Muslims to leave India and go away.” In reply, the other child says, “Amma, Modi is saying show documents of your father and grandfather otherwise he is telling us to leave the country.” At this point, another child is heard saying, “Hit them with slippers if anybody asks for documents.”

The last one is directed at survey workers who have been (mis)targeted recently.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/...

>Following instances of workers, engaged to conduct Poshan Abhiyan survey, facing hostile behaviour, the state government had issued an ad explaining that the survey had nothing to do with Census and NPR.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/two-women-mi...

>In Kota, the woman attacked was a surveyor from the National Economic Census department collecting data for the National Economics Census 2019- 2020 in Brijdham area. Nazeeran Bano was let off only after she was able to convince the crowd that she, too, was a Muslim, like them. The police later arrested one person for the attack.

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/west-bengal-woman-s-ho...

>The house of a 20-year-old woman was set on fire by a mob in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Wednesday, following rumours that she was collecting data for the proposed nationwide NRC.

>Chumki Khatun and her family are now under police protection after the incident happened in Gourbazar village in Mallarpur police station area, officials said.

I don't support sedition charges, but there should be a penalty for (1) promoting (even petty) violence against government workers and (2) getting your children to express this promotion.

[ashleshbiradar]

beating someone, hmmmmm

Union Minister in a public Rally. "Shoot the traitors(protesters)" https://scroll.in/video/951289/watch-anurag-thakur-minister-...

Chief Minister of UP at a public Rally. "If they(protesters) won't listen with words, they will surely listen to bullets" https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/if-n...

I don't mean to engage in whataboutism, but the play had a line which said "hit them with slippers", it's not "sedition". It sure might be wrong, but not "Sedition".

Meanwhile lawmakers holding real power call out for using guns against protesters. And that has led to this https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-51308376

there have been 4 incidents of gun firing in last week alone.

[sbmthakur]

Yes, the sedition charge is ridiculous. It's a relic of colonial times that should be done away with. However, that doesn't justify calls for beating anyone.