How BJP Student Wing Reacted To Kanhiya Kumar, Who Trended Worldwide

New Delhi:  Kanhiya Kumar's speech, delivered last night at the Jawaharlal Nehru University or JNU, where he pledged his commitment to fighting for "azaadi (freedom) not from, but in India" catalyzed him into a worldwide trend on Twitter.  The nearly one-hour -long address  was fiercely critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.  Unsurprisingly, students from the ABVP, the youth wing of the ruling BJP, aren't impressed

Mr Kumar, President of the Left-affiliated JNU Students Union, was arrested on sedition charges last month, forging an international debate on whether  the government is using the charge of "anti-national" as a fig leaf for cracking down on dissent and free speech.

Mr Kumar has denied making anti-India remarks at a rally at JNU in February, after which he was arrested. Footage of Mr Kumar that was televised by some news channels has been declared doctored by a forensic lab that was asked to examine the video by the Delhi government.

"Nobody is anyone's enemy here, everybody sits together and has tea as we  discuss our ideologies, but if anyone is going to do sloganeering against our country we would react," said Saurabh Verma, General Secretary of the BJP's student wing at JNU. It was on the basis of an ABVP complaint that a BJP parliamentarian filed a police case last month, leading to the jailing of Mr Kumar after a controversial police raid on campus to find him. Two other students from JNU are still in prison. 

Mr Kumar, 28, has been given bail by the Delhi High Court with a list of conditions that include a commitment to not participating "actively or passively in any activity which may be termed anti-national". 

Mr Sharma  said that the Delhi government's inquiry, which clears  Mr Kumar of making inflammatory remarks, is not the last word on the case. "Kanhaiya  Kumar has got conditional bail; we believe in the workings of the court, we are waiting for the final result," he said.


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JNUSU prez Kanhaiya camouflaged in anti-riot gear to dodge lawyers

To transport JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar safely out of the Patiala House courts where he was assaulted by lawyers on February 17, the police disguised him in battle fatigues, a bullet-proof jacket and a helmet that made him look like a member of the anti-riot cell.

The same afternoon, Kanhaiya had been assaulted by lawyers amid huge police deployment when he was being escorted to the courtroom . After the assault, Kanhaiya was produced in court where he was remanded to 14-day judicial custody.

The February 17 assault happened despite police’s assurance to the higher courts that Kanhaiya’s safety would not be compromised. The police had assured that the February 15 incident wherein journalists, JNU students, and teachers were beaten up by a group of lawyers, would not be repeated.

The decision to dress Kanhaiya as a police personnel was taken after they learnt that at least 200 lawyers had assembled near the courtroom and at the exit gates to stop them from escorting him out of the court premises.

The second round of trouble began around 5 pm when the lawyers slogans that they would handle Kanhaiya in their own way.

An emergency meeting was called at the police headquarters. Senior officers agreed to disguise Kanhaiya as an officer of the anti-riot cell and mix him with other policemen dressed in similar gear.

Several sets of anti-riot gears were brought to the courtroom. Kanhaiya was convinced to put on the uniform along with a police helmet with face cover and a baton. 50 policemen dressed in a similar way gear to confuse the lawyers.

Kanhaiya left the premises unhurt with the policemen as the lawyers could not identify him. The roads connecting C-Hexagon of India Gate were shut when police took Kanhaiya out of Patiala House court to Tihar jail. The arrangements were in place till around 8.30 pm when Kahnaiya reached Tihar Jail. JNUSU prez Kanhaiya camouflaged in anti-riot gear to dodge lawyers.

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