The evidence collected by the Delhi Police from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) security officers pointed out that JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar arrested in sedition case was present in the anti-India February 9 event organised on the campus to hail Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru 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 the “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 have just said Kanhaiya was present at the event. But none of them have reportedly told police that he had raised any slogans. However, ABVP joint secretary and PhD student Saurabh Kumar Sharma said “anti-national” slogans were raised by a gathering of 15 to 20 students 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.
In the report, police also said local police present at the event witnessed some raising anti-national and unconstitutional 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.
Five JNU students, including Umar Khalid, whom police were looking for, surfaced on the varsity’s campus on Sunday night, but police have not arrested them yet.