Three Kashmiri engineering students, arrested on sedition charges in Hubballi, were released after the execution of a bond under Section 169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc), police said on Sunday.

The three students from Kashmir, who were studying at an engineering college in Hubballi, were arrested on Saturday on charges of sedition and attempt to disrupt communal harmony, after a video in which they allegedly raised “Pro-Pakistan” slogans went viral, leading to protests from Hindutva outfits.

The students were released after they executed a bond under Section 169 of the CrPc, wherein they come back whenever they are summoned, Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner R. Dilip said.

Section 169 of the CrPc is invoked when an investigating officer is of the view that sufficient evidence is not available to produce an accused before a court for remand.

Mr. Dilip said the police were handling the matter sensitively because the case itself was sensitive with national ramifications, which may lead to a media trial.