Allahabad University Dalit PhD scholar booked for questioning Rafale aircraft deal

A Dalit PhD scholar and a student leader from Allahabad University has been booked by the Uttar Pradesh police over a social media post questioning the Centre on the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal.

Manish Kumar took to Facebook, raising questions over the Rafale deal and the alleged losses in the latest India-Pakistan conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.

“Why has the Modi government not yet denied the reports that claim India lost multiple Rafale jets during the conflict? Why has there been no transparency and clarification?” the PhD scholar posted.

On May 14, an FIR was registered against Kumar under sections 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 67 of the IT Act. These laws relate to statements that may incite public disorder and are deemed offensive or misleading online content.

Police have not specified the reason for the charges. Activists say that such issues threaten discussion in educational institutions.

Kumar has not been arrested yet, but legal action is ongoing. Hindutva right groups plan to challenge the FIR in court, arguing that it violates constitutional rights to free speech, Clarion India reported.

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Kumar is the Uttar Pradesh state president of the All India Students Association (AISA), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist).

In a statement, the AISA said, “The FIR against Comrade Manish is not an exception. It is part of a countrywide assault on dissent launched after the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. In Jammu & Kashmir, over 3,000 arrests have taken place.”

It further explained that in Assam, 42 people were jailed for ‘pro-Pakistan’ posts. In Uttar Pradesh alone, 30 people have been arrested and 40 FIRs lodged. “Across India, students, artists, and citizens are being targeted. This is not democracy. This is rule by fear,” the association concluded.

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