University administration of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is likely to expel for a year its three students Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Kahlid and Anibarn Bahttacharya who were recently jailed for sedition charges but are currently out on bail.
The punishment against the 21 students has been decided following an internal inquiry by the JNU into the organisation of a controversial event on campus to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in February.
JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Kahlid and Anibarn Bahttacharya along with two other students are likely to be expelled from university campus for two semesters and they may also be fined Rs 10,000 each.
Other students to face action are former JNUSU president Ashutosh, former JNUSU vice-president Anant, present general secretary Rama Naga and a few other students, who are also likely to be suspended from the present academic session.
The university is also expected to act against JNUSU joint-secretary and AVBP leader Saurabh Sharma, who has accused Kanhaiya and others of holding “anti-national” activities on the campus. It is also said by the sources that students have to vacate their hostels during the tenure of their punishment.
In the meantime, University administration also clarified that a final decision on the quantum of punishment for the students in connection with the event has not been reached yet while decision related to the fellowship program was non-disbursement is due to “technical error” and not “intentional”.
Two scholars, Shweta Raj and JNU students union Rama Naga, had last week claimed that the university has denied their fellowships saying they are still under suspension.
Shweta and Naga, along with six other students were academically debarred by the university for over a month in connection with an event on campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.JNU had revoked the suspension on March 11, after a high-level committee probing the issue submitted its report.
“The denial of fellowships to these students is not intentional but due to a technical error. The letter about revoking of their suspension from chief proctor’s office has not reached the fellowships department yet and hence the confusion. We are looking into the matter,” JNU Registrar Pramod
Kumar said.
Kumar also rubbished talks about the university having reached a final decision regarding the quantum of punishment for students involved in the event, as “rumours”.
“These are all rumours. The university has not taken a decision yet. The Vice-Chancellor and other administrative officials are not in Delhi and a final decision in this regard can be reached only when they are back,” he said.
While the Chief Proctor who is supposed to take a call on all disciplinary issues is in Manipur with other senior administrative officials for a three-day workshop on disaster management, the Vice-Chancellor who is the final authority on punishments is out of town following his mother’s death.
Kanhaiya is currently out on a six-month interim bail in the sedition case along with his fellow JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya. He was arrested on February 11 for organising and participating in an event on university campus in support of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. All the three were granted bail by a Delhi court last month.