As the slugfest among the political parties over the JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar’s arrest on sedition charges continued, leaders of left parties and JD(U) met Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday demanding his release as the latter maintained that no innocent student would be harassed but “guilty will not be spared.”
The police action in the JNU after an event was organised by the left-affiliated students’ wings on the campus against the hanging of Afzal Guru, a convict in the Parliament attack case, has triggered a running debate within the political parties with strong views coming forth for and against the arrest. Heightening the political drama, CPI leader D Raja also claimed that he has received calls carrying threats to his daughter, who is a student activist in the JNU.
Amid the raging JNU row, the Home Minister asserted that no innocent will be harassed but the guilty “will not be spared” as left leaders met him questioning the police action against students including arrest of JNUSU leader. “No question of harassment of students. But the guilty will not be spared,” Rajnath told mediapersons on the sidelines of a function here.
The Home Minister’s statement came after a delegation of left and JD(U) leaders met him demanding release of president of JNU students union, who was arrested Saturday on charges of sedition. Kanhaiya is a member of CPI’s student wing — All India Student Federation (AISF).
After meeting the Home Minister, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who was joined by CPI national secretary D Raja and JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi, on Saturday alleged that the new Vice-Chancellor of the JNU was acting on the instructions of the Government and allowed the police to go ahead with a “crackdown”.
“This is happening across all universities that V-Cs are being removed and the Government is appointing persons who are then acting on their instructions,” Yechury said. “We met the Home Minister and apprised him about the tense atmosphere in JNU at present. Delhi Police has released a list of 20 students in connection with the event, which also includes D Raja’s daughter, but we are asking are they seen in the video shouting slogansIJ” Yechury told reporters after the meeting, adding “They were present because they are members of students union or groups but that does not mean they were involved in it. We have demanded that Kanhaiya be released and the Home Minister has assured us that no action will be taken against innocent student.”
“This is a very serious matter and the way all students are being branded anti-national, we have raised all the issues with Rajnath,” he added.
Over charges against his daughter, D Raja said, “who can question me or my daughter’s integrityIJ Who can accuse us of anti-national, anti-constitutional activities, are they madIJ” According to PTI, Raja said late on Friday night he got a call from a man who spoke in Hindi and asked him why he was “fighting” with the BJP and ABVP. He was also “reminded” that his daughter was a resident of the university and would be shot down.