NEW DELHI: Kashmiri separatists’ sympathisers planned to commemorate Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s death anniversary simultaneously in 18 universities on February 9 with the help of the Democratic Student Union (DSU) members, reveals an intelligence report accessed by Express. One Kashmiri separatist sympathiser behind the event has already been identified and is likely to be picked up for questioning soon.
The report suggests that the sympathisers, in the guise of Kashmiri students, were sent to various universities before the event. The group included students from Srinagar who have been involved in anti-India agitations in the past. A senior intelligence officer said JNU was used by some Kashmiri separatists and Naxal sympathisers as a safe house.
They stay in hostel rooms allotted to students linked to DSU — student wing of the CPI-Maoist, the report said. “JNU was a perfect hideout for some elements involved in such activities. We have inputs that these separatist sympathisers who have been making trips to JNU and other universities received funds from handlers in J&K. We have forwarded the input to agencies concerned to verify the reports on money transactions,” an officer said.
The report also noted that since 2010, various “anti-national” programmes have been held at JNU with the help of 80-100 students. It cited previous incident-notes by agencies on events related to pro-Naxalite, pro-Kashmiri separatists and anti-India sloganeering. It has named a student couple staying on campus as one of the main coordinators of anti-national activities there. It has also mentioned a girl student from Delhi and a suspected separatist sympathiser from Kulgam in Jammu & Kashmir. They are suspected to have supported SAR Geelani‘s programme on Afzal Guru in the Press Club hall.
However, intelligence officials cautioned that it was only a small group of students that were responsible for anti-national activities and the entire university should not be labelled as a hub. They pointed out that many serving IPS and IAS officers are JNU alumni and the present controversy should not tarnish the university’s image.
‘students in touch with separatists’
Mumbai: A senior police officer from Maharashtra has claimed that investigation has revealed that Kashmiri separatist leaders are in regular touch with JNU students. Special Inspector General of Nagpur range Ravindra Kadam, involved in anti-naxal operations, told a Marathi channel that at least four students of JNU and Delhi University are active in naxal activities.