Three years after “anti-India” slogans were allegedly raised on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, the Delhi police on Monday submitted a chargesheet in the sedition case at the Patiala House Courts.
The case pertains to the raising of “objectionable” slogans at the event in 2016 against the hanging of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru.
The 1,200-page chargesheet, along with more than 10 pieces of video evidence and testimonies of 90 eyewitnesses, was submitted to the court in a trunk at 2.40 p.m., the police said.
“Kanhaiya Kumar, Syed Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya have been chargesheeted under IPC Sections 124A [sedition], 323 [voluntarily causing hurt], 465 [forgery], 471 [using as genuine, forged document], 143 [punishment for unlawful assembly], 149 [unlawful assembly with common object], 147 [rioting], 120B [criminal conspiracy],” said a police officer. Apart from the three then JNU students, the police have chargesheeted Aqueed Hussain, Basharat Ali, Mujeeb Hussain Gattoo, Umair Gul, Muneeb Hussain Gatoo, Rayees Rasool and Khalid Bashir Bhat. They are all from Kashmir and were students, said the police.
The officer said the names of 36 others had also been put on the chargesheet, but sufficient evidence against them had not come on file so far to launch trial.
Videos sent for test
The 36 include Shehla Rashid and Aparajita Raja. They have been kept in column number 12 of the chargesheet, which said they were present during the event but the police did not have sufficient proof.
During the investigation, videos of the event were sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory for confirmation and after its report was received many people were questioned. Eyewitnesses, including staff of the JNU administration, security guards at the university gate and other students, have submitted their testimonies.
After the case was registered at the Vasant Vihar police station, Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar and Anirban were arrested in February 2016. They were later given conditional bail.
“The presence of outsider Kashmiri students was established with the help of CCTV located at the university gate. They were seen leaving the premises unmasked. The event was organised even after permission was denied by the JNU administration,” added the officer. The chargesheet said investigation revealed that Kanhaiya Kumar, then JNU Students’ Union president, led the protesters on the evening of February 9, 2016 and raised anti-India slogans.
“The charge of sedition against Kanhaiya Kumar and others is absurd. If it takes 3 years and 1200 pages to make out a charge of sedition (based on a public speech), that alone exposes the motive of the government.... ,” tweeted P. Chidambaram, Congress leader.
