Spokesperson: Dr. Abhishek M. Singhvi: He said that the Congress Party expressed “deep concern” over criminal charges levelled against individuals participating in a peaceful political protest, asserting that no evidence of violence, property damage or threat to public safety had emerged.

“The characterisation of the incident as one involving organised violence, sinister intent, or pre-meditated wrongdoing is not borne out by the factual matrix presently available in the public domain, and raises serious questions of fairness, neutrality, and equal application of law”, he noted.

Dr. Singhvi added that the entire episode was recorded on video and widely circulated across social media and news platforms, contending that the prosecution cannot advance a narrative inconsistent with the contemporaneous video record.

Dr. Singhvi further said that copies of the FIR have not yet been supplied to the concerned persons or their legal representatives despite requests.

The senior Congress leader said that upon reviewing the charges, no prima facie case could be found. Referring to proceedings before the Patiala House Court, he said the court had directed the police to provide copies of the FIR and observed that the allegations lacked the hallmarks of terrorism. He added that the sections invoked are wholly inapplicable, and terms like ‘terrorism’ and ‘anti-national’ are completely misplaced.

Dr. Singhvi categorically rejected the characterisation of the protest as involving organised violence or premeditated wrongdoing, calling it a distortion of democratic activity. “Criminal law cannot be invoked merely on the basis of expressive political messaging in a peaceful protest, in the absence of any cognisable offence,” he noted.

The senior Congress leader criticised the government, stating that dissent is a constitutional right and not sedition. He said raising concerns over policies affecting farmers, youth and small businesses cannot be equated with criminal conduct. He maintained that the arrests reflect an attempt to intimidate young voices and suppress scrutiny. “Democracy is not fragile porcelain that cracks at the sound of a slogan,” he remarked, adding that proportionality is a constitutional discipline of power.

“Peaceful or symbolic political protest, even if vocally critical or inconvenient to authority, lies squarely within the protected zone of democratic expression”, Dr Singhvi said, adding, “in a democracy, dissent is not treason. It is duty. Raising the concerns of farmers, youth and small businesses is not rebellion; it is a constitutional right.”

He asserted that “when government signs agreements that threaten livelihoods and weaken economic sovereignty, opposing it becomes a responsibility, not a violation”.

“The government has completely lost its equilibrium. The more it tries to sensationalise the issue, the more these young individuals are elevated and the cause further gets highlighted”, he remarked. Thursday, February 26, 2026