Delhi Police prepares list of 31 students for questioning

In a development related to the JNU sedition case, the Delhi Police has asked 31 students from the University to make themselves available for a questioning session in connection with the February 9, 2016 event.

It has been a year since the University was caught in a political storm after some students allegedly raised anti-national slogans, after which three students had to face sedition charges.

The anti-terrorist unit of Delhi Police Special Cell had been tasked with the investigation of the case.

The students who allegedly raised the anti-national slogans are yet to be traced, but the police has compiled a list of 31 students thinking that they may be able to get crucial leads in the case.

The list of JNU students includes former JNU students' union Vice President Shehla Rashid and Rajya Sabha legislator D Raja's daughter Aparajitha Raja. Officials said they had taken note of their presence during the February 9 event, which had been held to protest the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The 31 students have been assigned specific slots for their sessions with the police officials. The police have not yet filed a chargesheet in the case.

"We had first approached the Vice Chancellor of the varsity for the questioning sessions. The sessions will take place inside the University premises itself. We have also asked the students of the university to be present at admin block post 12 pm.

The list does not include Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid," said a highly placed source from the Special Cell.

In March last year post the sedition case, the JNU administration had constituted an enquiry committee to look into the events of February 9. The report by the high-level inquiry committee at JNU had said that a group of masked outsiders had shouted provocative slogans, including

"Bharat ko ragad do (India should be crushed)" and "Pakistan zindabad" at the controversial event organised at the varsity on February 9.

The report submitted by the five-member committee had said that witnesses confirmed that the slogan "Bharat ki barbadi tak jung rahegi (The war will continue till India is destroyed)" was raised.

However the Special Cell investigators are of the view that the 31 students who will be questioned will offer crucial leads.

"We expect to shed new light on the case and expect to get some leads. If new names crop up, they will also be investigated," the source added.