JNU row: Arvind Kejriwal slams Modi, but maintains anti-national activities shouldn't be tolerated

Arvind Kejriwal has joined the JNU debate and wrote on Twitter: "No anti-national activity shud be tolerated under any circumstances. Those who did it must be identified and punished. Modi ji wants to terrorize everyone by using police."  

Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said the premier academic institute cannot be allowed to be a hub of anti-national activities. "We can't allow JNU to be a hub of anti-national activities," he told reporters here, a day after arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar on the charges of sedition. The Minister of State for Home said freedom of expression cannot be absolute and unqualified and reasonable restriction has to be there. 

"This was an unfortunate incident. But these are not small kids who don't know what they do. In the name of freedom of speech you can't abuse the nation," he said.
Rijiju said the Delhi Police action came as per available inputs and no one should politicise the issue of national interests, country's unity and integrity.

He also alleged that JNU students were encouraged by some political parties. The JNU students union president was arrested in connection with an event organised on the campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. There were allegations that anti-India slogans were raised during the event. Kanhaiya is member of CPI's student wing All India Student Federation (AISF). A delegation of Left and JD(U) leaders today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanding release of Kanhaiya. 

The Left leaders also questioned the "authenticity" of the video tape showing anti-national slogans being raised by a group of persons. "Police has released a list of 20 students, including daughter of D Raja, who have been slapped with sedition charges without enquiry," Yechuri said. Over charges against his daughter D Raja said, "who can question my or my daughter's integrity? Who can accuse us of anti-national, anti-constitutional activities, are they mad?" Further, he raised questions over the video showing students raising anti-national slogans saying "who are those people, whether they are from JNU or outside, nobody knows.

The point is that nobody can accuse AISF or SFI or for that matter Left organisations of anti-national activities." He said that Singh was told about the video "clippings" and he assured them that he will talk to the police commissioner about it. 

The Story So Far

JNU students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in a sedition case over an event at the varsity's campus against hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, sparking massive outrage among students and criticism from non-BJP parties which dubbed it as an "emergency-like" situation.

Meanwhile, after receiving an interim report from its disciplinary committee probing the involvement of the students at the event, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) debarred eight students from academic activities pending a disciplinary enquiry.

Earlier, Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Rajnath Singh had advocated strong action against those who were involved in the alleged "anti-India" act even as the students continued with their protests on the campus for the third day, saying they are being "witch-hunted". The students said their parents are asking them to quit the university in view of the "vitiated atmosphere" at the varsity. Meanwhile, backing the agitating students, Rahul Gandhi added his voice to the debate saying that while 'anti-India sentiment is unacceptable, debate is part of a democracy. He said: "While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential ingredient of democracy. Modi Govt & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable."

The arrest of Kanhaiya, a day after police filed a sedition and criminal conspiracy case on complaints from BJP MP Maheish Girri and ABVP members, was later remanded in three-day police custody by a local court.

After the arrest, the varsity students and teachers protested outside the Vice Chancellor's office demanding the administration's intervention into the manner in which students are being compared to "terrorists" and picked up from campus by policemen in plain clothes during alleged raids. Equating the events with an "emergency-like situation", CPI-M Sitaram Yechury said, "The question is that do you know who raised the slogans? Take action according to law against them. When you don't know then how are you arresting all the student leaders?
"...Male police are going and raiding girls' hostels. Only during the emergency we saw this happen. That is the sort of Emergency State they are reducing our country to again. This time it is the BJP," he said. 

Questioning the filing of sedition case, Congress leader Kapil Sibal asserted that it was a very serious charge and the BJP government should think before taking action under it.On its part, the JNU administration said the university holds the right to free debate but condemns its use as a platform for activities that violate the Constitution and the laws of the land.  

"While the JNU community upholds the right to free debate on campus, the university strongly condemns its use as a platform for activities that violate the Constitution and the laws of the land. However, there could be aberrations where fringe sections misuse the freedom provided," the newly appointed Vice Chancellor Jagdeesh Kumar said. Though the students have been debarred from academic activities, they will be allowed to stay in their respective hostels to enable them to represent their stand for a fair investigation. The identity of the debarred students has not been disclosed by the university.