Blow-by-blow police account of Feb 9 event & afterwards

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Blow-by-blow police account of Feb 9 event & afterwards

Monday, 29 February 2016 | Ankita Sharma | New Delhi

Blow-by-blow police account of Feb 9 event & afterwards

The Delhi Police pobe into the events that led to the ugly slogan shouting has found that those behind it were preparing for it for many weeks and there were many anti-nationals behind it. According to the police report, on February 9 many posters were found put up at the venue near Sabarmati Dhaba. The JNU authorities got the information that a group of students has obtained permission to hold the function by giving false information to them and under the guise of “cultural function” some other anti-national activities were to commence.

Meanwhile, some students including JNUSU joint secretary Saurabh Kumar informed in writing to the Dean, Students’ Welfare that the proposed programme which was to be held at Sabarmati Dhaba from 5 pm for which posters against the judicial killing of Afzal Guru and  Maqbool Bhatt have been put at all hostels and these activities will disrupt the peace and harmony of the campus. He requested the necessary action should be taken to stop such activities. Based on both the inputs, JNU authorities cancelled the permission granted for the proposed "cultural evening”.

Moreover, police reached the campus during the event and did not move inside the JNU complex without the permission of concerned authorities until the situation demanded police intervention. While the security team had reached the venue to explain the organisers regarding the cancellation of the permission, the latter had already set up mike and posters for the programme. The security staff didn’t allow them to fix the mike which led to scuffle between the organisers and the security personnel.

The students who had gathered started shouting slogans and in the meanwhile the strength of the gathering started to swell. On the other hand, a group of 20-30 students also gathered near 24x7 dhaba and started shouting slogans against the group led by JNU Students’ Union president (Kanhaiya Kumar) and secretary of the union.

The sloganeering by both the groups continued till about 7.30 pm. At 7.25 pm, a PCR call regarding quarrel between two groups of students inside JNU campus near Sabarmati Dhaba was received at Vasant Kunj (North) Police Station. Police officials present at the JNU gate informed the Chief Security Officer and JNU administration about the situation that had turned highly charged up and requested for police intervention. As police personnel present at the gate rushed to the spot where both groups had started marching towards Ganga Dhaba from Sabarmati Dhaba.

The report said the other group of students were opposing anti-India slogans and display of the placards containing photographs of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt were raising pro-India slogans were at the front with a strength of around 50-60 followed by other led by petitioner (Kanhaiya) group who were 200-300 in number.

Both the groups were shouting slogans continuously. The local police made a human chain separating both the groups while both the groups engaged in verbal and physical jostling and heckling many a times. This situation led to law and order problem which disturbed the public order on JNU campus. Around 9 pm, security personnel of JNU managed to control the situation.

On February 10, a video footage regarding the JNU incident was telecast on a national news channel which showed some students shouting anti-national slogans. Taking note of the video, the Investigating Officer sent a requisition to the channel asking them to present the unedited video footage. The report further added that the unedited video is not the footage which is being debated as “doctored”. But it is a totally different and contemporaneously recorded raw video footage. However, video is not the sole basis of the ongoing investigation.

On scrutiny of the video footage, the investigating team identified the students who were leading the procession and raising slogans and participating in the unlawful procession. The slogans were anti-national, anti-constitutional, against the organs of the Government and against the sovereignty and the integrity of the nation.

The evidence collected by the Delhi Police from JNU security officers pointed out that Kanhaiya, who is arrested in sedition case, was present in the anti-India February 9 event but didn’t raise any slogans. However, some students claimed that Kanhaiya was among the slogan shouters.

Evidence, based on the statements of 14 people, showed that Kanhaiya was present at the controversial event on the campus where 15 to 20 students had formed an “unlawful assembly”. A copy of internal report, prepared by police itself, said the assembly of the students was unlawful as they had not sought prior official permission for it.

The copy of the report  accessed by The Pioneer said since permission for the event was obtained on the false pretext of holding a cultural programme by “main organisers Umar Khalid and Anirban”, later turned out to be “an anti-national activity” which proved it was “preconceived” and “well planned conspiracy” by the “accused persons” for committing the “anti-national activity.”

The report said, “That it was an illegal procession as there was no official permission  in this regard as per the chief security officer of the JNU and since the procession was of more than five people who ultimately committed offences under Section 147/149 of the IPC. The procession was raising anti-national slogans provoking students to indulge in violence against the Government.”

In his written statement to police, JNU Chief Security Officer Naveen Yadav, said Kanhaiya was one of the leaders “leading the procession.” Security Guard Inspector Sandeep Kumar said there was a gathering of about 15 to 20 students who were raising “anti-national slogans”. He told police that Kanhaiya was also present there.

like Sandeep Kumar, Security Assistants Suraj Prakash, Hoshiyar Singh Amarjeet Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Gaurav Bali and  Bhagirath Singh too said Kanhaiya was present at the event. But none of them have reportedly told police that he had raised any slogans. However, JNUSU joint secretary and PhD student Saurabh said “anti-national” slogans were raised where Kanhaiya was also present.

Other students Anima Sonkar, Priyadhharshani, Bhaskar Jyoti and Anima Ankur Aryan told police that  the “anti-national slogans were raised by the organisers along with the JNUSU president.”

In its report sent to the Commissioner’s office on Sunday, police also maintained that they “did not enter into the JNU complex without requisition from the concerned authorities”. Citing the findings of the internal enquiry committee of JNU, police in its report said evidence against the eight students include misinterpretation of the proposed event as a cultural evening, forcibly holding the event despite the permission being withdrawn, creating law and order situation on the campus and raising unconstitutional slogans.

The report also said local police present at the event witnessed some raising anti-national slogans by one group, while another group was countering them. But the report still fails to clarify who were the ones actually involved in such sloganeering. Also, the report specifically listed 29 slogans which were witnessed to have been raised at the event and 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 also mentioned in a status report prepared by police soon after the arrest of Kanhaiya.  

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