Delhi Police Inquiry Fails to Prove Kanhaiya Raised Anti-National Slogans at JNU Event

The report lists 29 slogans that were raised but presents no evidence to suggest that Kanhaiya Kumar or other students were the ones who raised them
JNU students shout slogans during their protest against the arresting of  JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar in New Delhi | Express photo by Shekhar Yadav
JNU students shout slogans during their protest against the arresting of JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar in New Delhi | Express photo by Shekhar Yadav

NEW DELHI: In its latest report on the JNU row, the Delhi Police have cited evidence collected by an internal inquiry of the university suggesting that eight students, including students union president Kanhaiya Kumar, did indeed shout anti-national slogans.          

But on the basis of evidence collected by police investigators on their own, the police failed to pinpoint anyone who raised such slogans.       

The report specifically lists 29 slogans that were heard being raised at the Feb. 9 event.

The list doesn't include "Pakistan Zindabad," which was mentioned in the statement attached with the FIR registered on the basis of a video clip obtained from a news channel, they said.          

The same slogan was mentioned in a status report prepared by the police soon after the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar.

Citing the JNU internal inquiry committee, the police report said the evidence against the eight students includes misinterpretation of the event as a cultural evening, illegally holding the event although permission for it had been withdrawn, creating a law and order situation on campus and raising unconstitutional slogans.         

The report says local police personnel present at the event witnessed unabated anti-national and unconstitutional sloganeering by one group, while another countered them.

But the report fails to clarify who exactly raised such slogans.

The evidence collected by the investigators against JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar includes his "presence" in a group raising unconstitutional and anti-national slogans. This is attributed to eye-witnesses and a news channel video clip on the basis of which the sedition case was registered.          

The report also mentions Umar Khalid and Anirban as the organisers of the event but again does not specify whether they were particularly spotted raising anti-national slogans.           

Five students, including Umar Khalid, who the police were looking out for, resurfaced on the varsity's campus on Sunday night but the police have not arrested them yet.

In an apparent U-turn, senior officials now claim they are waiting for the students to surrender on their own, but the five have ruled it out.

Delhi police commissioner B S Bassi said yesterday that the final call will be taken by the investigating officer. Whether to enter the varsity's campus or not will be the decision of DCP (South) Prem Nath who is heading the probe.  

The police had registered a case of sedition in connection with the event held on the JNU campus to mark the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, at which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.     

On February 12, police arrested JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar in connection with the case and started a search operation for others, including Umar Khalid and Anirban.   

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