Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar in a complaint written from Tihar jail  lodged in a sedition case  to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has stated that the Delhi Police incorporated many things in his interrogation report as well as in his statement without his consent.

In his five-page handwritten statement to the NHRC, a copy of which has been accessed by The Pioneer, he said during police custody, he was not beaten up but interrogators continuously applied mental pressure. Also, he said police watched as “mute spectators” as he was being beaten up by men wearing lawyers’ robes on the Patiala House court premises.

He stated that the lawyers’ attack on him had unnerved him and he feared serious threat not only to his life, but also to his family in Bihar.

“Police incorporated many things in my interrogation report as well as in my statement without my consent. I was arrested by the Delhi Police from outside my hostel in JNU without any summons or arrest warrant… Police seized my purse, mobile phone, ATM, identity cards, bank account details, Facebook ID and password, email IDs and password, Twitter account and password. They seized even my room keys. I asked the judge the reason behind my arrest and then appealed to police to produce evidence. Police showed a video to the magistrate. I told police as well as the magistrate that I was not the organiser of February 9 incident nor was present during the sloganeering incident. I do not support this in any form. It has been proved that I was part of the crowd which was fighting against each other…During my three-day police custody, I was not beaten up but I constantly felt psychological pressure,” Kanhaiya said.

“The interrogators asked my opinion on the unity and integrity of the country. I told them that I fully believe in the nation’s unity, integrity and the Constitution. They asked me to write down my opinion. I wrote it. They asked me to write it in the form of an appeal. I was clueless. I had no option. I wrote it in an appeal format,” Kanhaiya said.

The same statement was issued later in the form of an appeal by police.

Kanhaiya said whatever statement he had given to police about the controversial event, he had repeated it before the court.

Kanhaiya has given a detailed account on how he was arrested  from the varsity campus without being given any prior information or served any summons or warrant  by the  Delhi Police. He said on police request he had given in writing that situation in the country was deteriorating and he had full faith in India’s unity and Constitution.

Kanhaiya said when he was brought to the Patiala House court, police personnel  were  holding such talks among themselves and the way arrangements had been made constantly increased his fear. “My fear came true as I was attacked by a group while entering the court complex. Most of these people were wearing lawyers’ robes. The way the attack was organised, it was indeed life threatening.”

Kanhaiya said he was constantly beaten up while being taken to the courtroom. The JNUSU leader’s statement said, “I am under constant fear due to February 17 incident. I fear my house may be attacked. I fear my family may also be attacked. I have provided this information to magistrate lovleen Singh also.”

While protecting him against the  lawyers’ assault,  Kanhaiya said many police personnel also suffered injuries. “They did their best to save me. But even after I had identified the attacker, he slipped out of the  courtroom in front of police. After that court proceedings went on and I was finally moved to the Tihar jail at 8 pm.”