Bengaluru: Student activist Amulya Leona Noronha, who has been booked for sedition for raising pro-Pakistan slogans at an anti-CAA event in Bengaluru, is no stranger to controversy.
On Thursday, Noronha took the stage at a rally by AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, soon after the lawmaker ended his speech. The 19-year-old activist went on to shout “Pakistan Zindabad” thrice before the organisers, including Owaisi, rushed to stop her.
The police later booked her for sedition, provoking enmity between groups, and intentional insult to provoke breach of peace. She was then sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
This wasn’t the first time that Noronha, who has become a familiar face at anti-CAA and NRC protests across Karnataka, made headlines for contentious reasons.
Last month, Noronha sparked a row when she heckled Mahesh Vikram Hegde, the editor of Right-wing propaganda website Postcard News, at the Mangaluru airport asking him to sing Vande Mataram to prove his “Indian-ness”.
In a video shared on social media, Noronha could be heard saying, “Sing Vande Mataram if you are an Indian. We will also sing with you.”
Noronha was accompanied by a Karnataka Congress spokesperson, Kavita Reddy, and another activist during the incident. In the video, Hegde didn’t yield to the heckling.
After she was arrested in Bengaluru, Hegde took to social media and said the latest incident proved why he did not sing Vande Mataram “in front of these”.
Today it's proved why I didn't chant Vande Mataram front of these
These don't deserve to hear even Vande Mataram
These do this drama only for publicity
Henceforth if anyone says Pak Zindabad, police shud punish brutally
They shudn't chant even P of Pak
This trend shud stop
— Mahesh Vikram Hegde (@mvmeet) February 20, 2020
On Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa told reporters that his government will take strict action against organisations that are backing people like Noronha and trying to disrupt peace in the state.
Also read: How a once alcoholic auto driver, father of 4, became first Muslim pontiff of Lingayat mutt
Who is Amulya Noronha?
Amulya Noronha, who is from Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru, describes herself on social media as a “Kaanana-da-Kaajana” (Black Drongo), an aggressive forest bird.
According to her Facebook profile, Noronha is currently pursuing her BA (English) at NMKRV College for Women in Bengaluru. She did her schooling in Koppa, Chikkamagaluru, before moving to Mysuru’s Sadvidya Composite PU College for pre-university. She then worked as a translator at a Bangalore recording company.
The 19-year-old comes from a family of activists. Her father, Oswald Noronha, was an environment activist who had participated in Appiko Chaluvali, a southern version of the Chipko movement that was started by Pandurang Hegde in 1983 to save trees in the Western Ghats region.
Speaking to ThePrint, a friend of her said both Noronha and her father have participated in several protests earlier, with the student activist using her social media handles to voice her opinion.
‘Didn’t complete her sentence’
In a Facebook post on 16 February in Kannada, Amulya Noronha wrote, “Hindustan Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad, Bangladesh Zindabad, Sri Lanka Zindabad, Nepal Zindabad, Afghanistan Zindabad, China Zindabad, Bhutan Zindabad… Whichever country it is, Zindabad to all countries…
“You teach the children that nation is its soil. We children are telling you nation means its people.”
ಹಿಂದುಸ್ತಾನ್ ಜಿಂದಾಬಾದ್!ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನ್ ಜಿಂದಾಬಾದ್!ಬಾಂಗ್ಲಾದೇಶ್ ಜಿಂದಾಬಾದ್!ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾ ಜಿಂದಾಬಾದ್!ನೇಪಾಳ ಜಿಂದಾಬಾದ್!ಅಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನ್…
Amulya Leona यांनी वर पोस्ट केले रविवार, १६ फेब्रुवारी, २०२०
“This may be what she wanted to say on stage (in Bengaluru), but she did not complete her sentence,” said the friend quoted above who didn’t wish to be named.
However, Oswald Noronha condemned his daughter’s action. “What she did was wrong. She was joined by some Muslims and wasn’t listening to me,” Noronha told ANI.
His comment came after Right-wing activists attacked the family’s house in Chikkamagaluru.
Also read: BJP MLAs trashed Bengaluru elevated road in 2018. Now they say it can end traffic nightmare
Praise for Modi
However, Amulya Noronha’s social media posts aren’t just restricted to criticism of the ruling BJP. In a Facebook post at 4.29 pm Thursday, just before the events unfolded in Bengaluru, Noronha praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Modi does not hate Muslims. Modi loves all people in this country. Sanghis and idiots are the only ones who hate people of all religions,” she wrote.
https://www.facebook.com/AmulyaLeona/posts/2575173622696719
Speaking to ThePrint, Oswald Noronha said while his daughter has rendered speeches against Modi, he was unaware why she posted in favour of the PM.
“I have voted for the BJP earlier, even campaigned for former Sringeri BJP MLA D.N. Jeevaraj and voted for him thrice. I also voted for Shobha Karandlaje in the 2013 Lok Sabha elections, but not this time. There may be some reason why she (Amulya) did that,” he said over phone.
Other posts
In another viral video of her currently doing the rounds on social media, Noronha can be heard saying how she is “only the face of the protests”, but the real “heroes” are the ones who advise her.
“There are a lot of senior activists, a content team, my parents who tell me what I should say or do. There is a very big student group, Bangalore Students Alliance that work hard, I am just the face of it, they are the ones who are working really hard without any credit or identity in the media. They are the real heroes (sic),” she said in the video.
ThePrint couldn’t ascertain the authenticity of the video.
In another Facebook post Thursday, she complimented former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy for reading out an anti-CAA poem, Ninna Dakhale Yaavaga Needuttee (When will you give your documents), from the floor of the Karnataka assembly. Siraj Bisaralli, the poet who wrote it, was arrested on sedition charges and later released on bail.
https://www.facebook.com/AmulyaLeona/posts/2575059199374828
Also read: Phones seized, abused, hit: What women in Karnataka & Tamil Nadu’s garment factories endure
If a country as big as India feels so threatened by a few slogans of two words, then we should rethink democratic values, and adopt a similar nonsecular constitution of tyrant countries.
Seriously Pandu?? Ever thought of seeing a shrink?
But no need of slogans, Pakistan or India, respect should be there as human 1st, next any nation. While Terrorists are insane people they donot have a nation, they are having mind problems. And this girl need some counselling and start doing some sense-full thing rather senseless. Thankyou.
I agree that the girl needs counciling. Immature speaking causes damage to the individual as well as society.
The girl’s intention has to be investigated by capturing all her messages,texts and posts.
Moral of this episode is ” You may be / can be a fire brand but don’t fire your self” by your emotions.
One should carry a text of one’s speech to deliver the message with an intention.
What this joker newspaper the print want t9 say? What if she praised P.M modi or family gives vote to BJP? Pakistan Zindabad is not acceptable at all and this is enough to force her whole life in jail. I will also say amulya zindabad once she sentenced life imprisonment.
Iagree with u.this is the start of isis in katnataka. Nip in the bud and followthis very seriouly.our police should reduce their work by avoiding violence .have a proper intelligenclike mossad of israel and u will reduce terrorism to 1o percent. Mk sureshh 23022020
Go study ,instead of doing all this bullshit !!! Gurl !!! How do they find the time to do all this ??I was not studious ,but never did I have any time to pull this kind of shit 🤣🤣🤣.
Something’s seriously wrong with these students ,too much time at hand .🤣🤣🤣
Please note : I always found politicians and religions very suspicious ,till date .
Woohoo. Absolutely Pakistan zindabad. You go girl! May the grace of God always be on Pakistan.
The reality is that India never was a democracy and never will be. There is no freedom of speech or thought in India. And the only reaction that Indians have to anything they disagree with is violence. That’s their solution to everything: beat the crap out of anyone who has a different point of view. No dialogue, no desire to understand another point of view, no need to learn and grow and be civilised and accepting of all of humanity. This extremism is evident even on this comments page. Politicians use hate as a weapon to play politics and gullible people fall for their nonsense, allowing the hate to poison them. Stop hating others and realise that all geographical borders are a man-made construct. People in all countries are the same, but politics divide them. Hate is a satanic emotion and can never be justified.
Couldn’t have put it better than you did. This country needs to learn the meaning of free speech rather than invoking sedition in anything that does not match their propaganda
Send her to Pakistan and see if they accept her
you wrote she voted for shoba karandlaje (bjp) in 2013 and also wrote that she is 19 years old.
in 2013 she would be 14 years old, basically ineligible to vote. either she is lying or you are.
i get that she wanted to convey that all nations are equal. but why start with a pakistan zindabad? and why didn’t people on stage didn’t snatch her mike away? they were trying to pull away but didn’t. 4 big men aren’t powerful than a 19 year old girl? makes you wonder why
We Indian are not Indian but Bharatiya, Afghanistan,Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Burma is BHARAT & we should be united ,and keep peaceful & brotherly relations with each other ,we should have tradelinks , education
transportation with eachother this will make us most advanced & developed country in the world ,I hope we do it
What is your reasoning Vish? You mean pro – Pak slogans and hoisting the Pak flag are ok. How come?Is not Pak an enemy country. Better you keep your advice to yourself.
Don’t give too much importance to PakiStan. Unki aukat nahin. Only focus on making India great.
Nice cover up, I see that print looks for these kind of sedated souls to be the voice and missionaries of print anyways. I don’t know why you have changed her second name as noranha. Secondly your job as news agent is to publish the news not to clarify what exactly this pig amulya actually intended to say. If that’s the case HMO clarified about CAA and NRC – it’s you the leftist media hyenas seized the opportunity of bush fire’s and propagated a false narrative across. I see this pig and you hyenas as two sided coins.
I Think she is a good girl and wants to praise the whole world without discrimination but she must start it with Hindustan jindabad
And she starts with Pakistan Zindabad
You are naive
It looks as if she was interrupted before she could complete her sentence. Maybe she wanted to tell something much broader on religious tolerance than just praising Pakistan.
What more religious tolerance people are expecting in this country? What type of Aazadi these people expect?
Sorry Ma’am , I don’t think so.. From where she started was p zindabad and repeated 2 more times. could have easily said something else if wanted.. People are trying to cover-up.
Vish, . I challenge if you can go on a stage in Pakistan and shout Hindustan Zindabad. If you come back normally we will discuss more as per your idea.
There is no comparison between India and Pakistan. Just because in Pakistan one will get lynched for saying ‘Hindustan zindabad’ doesn’t mean India must follow in it’s path. Pakistan refused to take back bodies of it’s soldiers after Kargil war, Pakistan has slaughtered and continues to slaughter it’s own citizens, Pakistan refuses to bring back it’s students stranded from Wuhan in China. India hasn’t does anything like this. Pakistan ki koi aukat nahi. India is a great nation that doesn’t have to compare itself with a pidu country like Pakistan. Pakistanis will act according to their aukat, Indians must act according to it’s Shaan.
There is nothing seditious about her Pakistan zindabad statement as long as she is not saying anything that is against of our country. When sunny paji said in gaddar movie that “Pakistan zindabad……lekin hindustan zindabad tha, zindabad h, zindabad rhega”. Audience applauded,but in this real life situation, some people are overreacting.
Print has mentioned a website to be a right wing propaganda website but failed to mention about its own link with left wing propaganda. Lol😂😂
Your reporting should be accurate, unbiased and in the interest of the nation. Your support for such people will only damage democracy and the nation. Please support to build the nation and the democracy.
This is intolerable. In which other nation will this be allowed in the name of freedom of speech. Any action against CAA will be taken only by the judiciary. Let there not be a law of the jungle with people raising slogans which has nothing to do with the act.
Nothing wrong if rohingyas n illegal muslims kick you out of your house.
She should start from hindustan zindabad, but what she did? What type of azaadi you people wants?
She was wrong to say such slogan even if she is saying slogan for both the countries if she is so much honest towards india nation she wouldn’t do it those who thinks it was wrong for what others did with her then she has hurt india’s pride and rest u who supports her you are not fit to stay in india if you support other enemy country look how our brave jawan’s are dying for saving the nation’s pride and look how you are supporting enemy nation countries sad to see human’s are enemy to thier own nation 😢
Double standards……!!!! She should be behind bars long ago
Why some poeple are so ignorant and go with Pakistan. They should be scrapped with their citizenship and send them to detention center. If they wish to continue to support Pakistan then send them to Pok. Then they will realize what is Pak. Useless fellows!!
Print in damage control of anti caa protests. Lol
By doing that, she is actually promoting love among people of different countries. I don’t understand, how is this like promoting enmity between different groups. We should love everyone. Kashmir we will not, border issues doesn’t mean we hate each other..
Sir, with lots of respect,please do not support such slogans in times like these.
You should be booked too on sedation charges.
Lotbof supporter are behind her like u ppl
Tonight before I sleep off this incident where our youths are so misguided that they shout Pakiatan Zindabad, I prat to God that they end up their further lives in Pakistan ! #leaveIndia
There is a difference between chanting Sri Lanka Zindabaad and Pakistan Zindabaad. Before chanting Pakistan zindabaad, think about the soldiers at our borders who face Pakistan soldiers daily and have to listen to these same chants when they behead our soldiers.
What do you mean by ‘as long as they do not inconvenience others’ .. Do you feel convenient when an Indian citizen says ‘P*** jindabad’ ..???
People like you are dual minded and totally confused on your stand and thus indirectly and inadvertently encourage such people to come on stage and voice such slogans …
Make up your mind man …
And mind it that no body is over reacting … It’s a natural reaction for any Indian citizen… You can see that inconvenience even on Owaisi , media channels and public outrage .. Are all over reacting ..?
Bhai tumhara to paper hi anti national hai. Koi bhi baat preset mind ke saath likhte ho aur aap bhi communist agenda main shamil ho. Aam banda jo desh ko pyar karta hai aur aap jaise par sawal karta hai to simply usse bjp ka bata do. Waise koi fayda nhi hai aap log besharam ban kar hi ye kaam shuru kiye ho. Jai hind jai Bharat
Why Indian’s hate own country, still I couldn’t figure it out!, If u don’t want to live just leave, whose forcing you to stay! Even I along with many families have been made to refuge on own land by the GoI but still love own country, we are been betrayed of promises given but loves this nation,…. Here I too disagree the CAA but that doesn’t mean that I should hate own country…. I love my country, Hindustan zindabad … Pakistan murdabad…China murdabad!!
I don’t understand why you make her a celebrity?
People start choosing Such way to become a headline….
Plz don’t encourage such kind of activities….
Send Amulya and her father to pakistan immediately,her father is playing a drama now.
No reason to overreact because she shouted ‘ Pakistan zindabad’. There should be no ban on hoisting flags of any country, including Pakistan, or shouting slogans in their favour. Applying sedition law indicates a lack of confidence and application of the mind. All protests, sloganeering etc. should be allowed as long as they do not inconvenience others.
Crazy ppl support her like u
Why do we need such idiots? Wait I just spotted another one.
Share your thought in some rally and you can become overnight sensation one more Libaraandoo
Shame on you Vish. Hope you are mentally sound. I don’t think you have Indian blood. Tell me one Pakistani who has officially raised slogans hailing India. If they have never done it why are you asking us to say Pakistan Zindabad.
Ya you should first migrate to pakistan with her then say this ..idiot traitor uncultured mo**n.
U too acting on same lines as amulya bl..Dy b..th
All commentators seem to be obsessed with a piddly country like Pakistan. Pakistan is a failed state and is no comparison to India. No need for Indians to lose sleep over such a country or those who shout slogans in it’s favour. Pakistan just needs to be swatted when it creates trouble. No need to either hold talks with Pakistan or give it unnecessary importance. Only our security forces need to interact with Pakis.