Cops question another JNU student

NEW DELHI: Another JNU student, Ashutosh, who the police was looking out for in connection with the sedition case, joined investigation today after receiving a police summon.

Ashutosh, who is JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's predecessor, is one of the five students, including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who resurfaced in the varsity's campus on Sunday night.

Ashutosh received the summon yesterday night and produced himself today at RK Puram Police Station, where Khalid and Anirban are presently being interrogated, a police official said.

Other two students, Rama Naga and Anant Kumar, are yet to receive any police summon. They had earlier written to police that they are ready to join investigation too.

The five of them resurfaced at the campus on Sunday night and a day later, Khalid and Anirban surrendered before police.

The police was looking out for all five of them in connection with the sedition case which led to the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar on February 12.

Yesterday, the police interrogated Kumar, Khalid and Anirban together for the first time.


With that, the police have identified around 22 persons who were active participants in the controversial February 9 event, police said, adding Ashutosh, Khalid, Anirban and few others are believed to be organisers of the event in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

Sponsored link

Umar, Anirban stayed at friend’s house in Delhi before surrendering

The police have identified more than 20 people who were seen in a video shouting slogans on the JNU campus on February 9. Police said they learnt about the names of the students from the joint interrogation of the three students — Umar Khalid, Anirban and Kanhaiya Kumar.

Video played over 12 times to identify those shouting slogans

Sources said the list of students had been prepared and they would be summoned to join the investigation. According to sources, the video was played over 12 times, even in slow motion, to clearly identify the persons who were seen shouting slogans. Sources said some of the persons who had covered their faces could not be identified.

Police said that it appears that the persons whose faces were covered were the “real conspirators”.

Umar, Anirban stayed a friend’s place in South Delhi before surrendering

Police sources revealed that Umar and Anirban had stayed at a friend’s house in south Delhi before surrendering to the police. The friend will also be called to join the probe. Police said they are looking into role of all persons who helped the accused remain in hiding after incident.

Khalid, Kanhaiya, Anirban gave contradictory versions

According to t he police, Khalid, Kanhaiya and Anirban have been changing their statements and gave contradictory versions on the sequence of events and slogans shouted at the February 9 event. “Both Khalid and Anirban have been kept in separate rooms and were asked to recall the entire sequence of events, including the nature of slogans that were shouted on February 9. While Anirban confidently said that no anti-national slogans were raised, Khalid said no slogans were shouted at all till he was present there,” police sources said.

”Their statement about when Kanhaiya joined the event, whether it was after, before or during the event also differs. While Khalid and Anirban claim that he was there during the event, Kanhaiya said he reached there later. We are examining the statements,” the investigators said.

Police said despite claims by Umar and Anirban that the decision to hold the event was collective and members of Democratic Students Union had contributed to it, it appears that it was them who were the main organisers and went ahead with the event despite cancellation of the permission by university administration. The duo also claimed that they had just ‘conceived’ the idea to hold the event and not actually organise it.

Police prepare the evidence file

Meanwhile, the police have started preparing the evidence file of the case. The file includes the raw version of the video clip obtained from a news channel on the basis of which the case was registered, the letters of communication between the police and the university authorities and the poster of the event.

Ashutosh, one of the three students who are yet to be arrested, has also been called to join the probe, sources said.

Sponsored link

JNU row: Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya 'cooperating' with Delhi Police in interrogation

The Delhi Police interrogated Jawaharlal Nehru University students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who have been booked on charges of sedition, in the wee hours on Wednesday and asked them about the sequence of events that took place on February 9.

In an interrogation that lasted for almost five hours, the police asked the two about their whereabouts during the incident and also on their alleged raising anti-national sloganeering.

The police also asked Umar about his call detail records. Both Umar and Anirban revealed to the police about their location when they were absconding and also assisted the police in the interrogation. The Delhi Police have made a plan based on which the two would be presented before the Magistrate, ensuring their safety.

Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who have been booked on charges of sedition, surrendered before the Delhi Police late last night following which they were questioned for at least five hours. Earlier during the day, the Delhi High Court had refused to grant them protection from arrest and told them that they will have to surrender and face the law.

The two have been placed under police custody at South Campus police station. A medical check was conducted on both the students in the police station and they were questioned for around five hours.

The duo returned to the JNU campus last Sunday after remaining underground since February 12.

Khalid and Bhattacharya are among the five students who, along with JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, had allegedly shouted anti-national slogans at an event organised in the university campus on February 9.

Besides Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya, the other students are Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Anant Prakash. Delhi Police had issued a look-out notice on February 20 against Khalid, Bhattacharya, Naga, Ashutosh and Prakash.

Sponsored link