JNU: Delhi HC snubs plea on NIA probe, outrage grows
17 Feb 2016 5:40 AM IST
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the JNU sedition case in which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised, saying the plea was “premature” as the police is already investigating the matter. “It is an incident of February 9. Delhi Police is probing the matter. Let the police investigate first. We cannot step in unless necessary,” a bench of Justice Manmohan said, adding, “The present writ petition is premature and is dismissed.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon several journalists held a protest march against the attack on mediapersons covering the hearing of the sedition case in which Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU Students’ Union President has been arrested. Journalists walked from the Press Club of India to the Supreme Court raising slogans in support of freedom of expression and against alleged police inaction during the incident. They have demanded that the culprits be brought to book. A delegation of journalists also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and sought a enquiry into the incident and that strict action be taken against those involved in the assault. They questioned the “silence of police” over the attack on students and media, calling it an insult to the judiciary as the incident took place inside a court complex.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to give an urgent hearing on Wednesday to a plea seeking action against those involved in thrashing journalists and JNU students and teachers in the Patiala House court complex. The petition filed by ND Jaiprakash, an alumnus of JNU, who was hurt in the violence on Monday, sought action against the people involved in the violence and over “inaction” on the part of Delhi Police. The petition, which was placed before a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur by senior advocate Indira Jaising, also demanded that the security measures in the court complex should be such that no person becomes victim of violence. After the attack on Wednesday, JNU teachers on Tuesday also joined students in boycotting classes to protest the arrest of its student union leader in a sedition case and said they would take classes on ‘nationalism’ in the varsity lawns.
“The administration is not only acting against students but also teachers and we are being openly attacked while the Vice Chancellor stays mum over it. The entire world is now referring to JNU as a hub of anti-nationals on the basis of propaganda of a few people in power. It is time we teach our students what nationalism is,” said Rohith Azad, a faculty member, who was among those who was attacked. The one-and-half-hour long lecture on ‘nationalism’ will be held every evening at 5 pm in front of the administration block.
Students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on Tuesday took out a protest march against alleged police excesses at the JNU campus even as they condemned the anti-national slogans raised during the JNU protest. Carrying placards, protesters raised slogans and later sent a memorandum to the President demanding an inquiry into the role of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-linked organisations in fomenting trouble in different Indian universities.
‘Kanhaiya may not have raised anti-national slogans’
JNU students’ union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on sedition charges, may not have raised anti-national slogans or made an inflammatory speech at the JNU event which is at the centre of a raging controversy, according to inputs from security agencies. Home Ministry officials have suggested that slapping of the serious charge of sedition against Kumar could be an act of ‘over enthusiasm’ on the part of some Delhi Police officers. Security agencies have conveyed to the Home Ministry that even though Kumar was present at the event commemorating the death of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, he possibly did not raise any anti-India slogan nor did he speak anything anti-national that invites the charge of sedition. Officials said the anti-India slogans were raised by students belonging to Democratic Students Union (DSU), considered to be a front of CPI (Maoists). Kumar belongs to AISF, the students wing of CPI, while DSU is an extreme Left group.
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