After being arrested earlier in the day, Jawaharlal Nehru University Student’s Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was on Friday remanded in three days of police custody in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy over holding an event at the prestigious institute against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
What type of liberty you want, asked the judge during the court proceeding.
Kumar was presented before Metropolitan Magistrate lovleen where police sought his custodial interrogation for five days to investigate alleged links of the accused persons, including those who are allegedly absconding, with terrorist groups.
During the hearing, police claimed in the court that five other accused - Omar Khalid, Anant Prakash, Rama Naga, Ashutosh and Anirban - are absconding from the JNU campus. Police told the court that Kumar was also required to be interrogated for the purpose of identification of other accused who were seen shouting “anti-national” slogans during the event organised on the campus on February 9.
Kumar told the court that he was neither shouting any slogan nor saying anything against integrity of the country and said he had rushed to the spot only to prevent a clash between ABVP workers and students organising the event.
He claimed in the court that this was a politically- motivated case and he was being framed by police as he had defeated the ABVP candidate in the presidential elections of the JNUSU.
He told the court that he did not endorse the slogans against India in any manner and has full faith in the Constitution of the country.
“I dissociate myself from the slogans which were shouted in the event. I have full faith in the Constitution of the country and I always say that Kashmir is an integral part of India,” Kanhaiya told the court.
After police placed on record a CD of the event which the judge played inside the court room on a computer, the judge asked Kanhaiya about the identity of the persons who were seen shouting slogans in favour of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged after being awarded death penalty by the court and Pakistan.
Responding to the court’s query, the accused said he did not know all of them as they were outsiders but he can identify all the students who are from JNU.