The Special Cell of Delhi Police on Monday filed its charge sheet in a court against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in a sedition case lodged in 2016.
The 10 accused had allegedly raised anti-India slogans on February 9, 2016 during an event at the JNU campus to protest the hanging of Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru.
Kanhaiya, who is currently campaigning in Begusarai in Bihar for Left parties, claimed that he is innocent. Reacting to the 1,200-page charge sheet, Kanhaiya said, "The charge sheet is politically motivated. We want the charges to be framed and a speedy trial in the case so that the truth comes out. We also want to see the videos that have been placed on record as evidence by the police."
The charge sheet mentions Kanhaiya, Anirban, Umar Khalid and seven others as main accused. Names of 36 others, including D Raja's daughter Aparajita, Shehla Rashid, Rama Naga, Samar Khan, Ashutosh Kumar and others has been listed in Column 12 of the charge sheet.
Rashid was then the vice-president of JNUSU. Even though the charge sheet has their names mentioned in column 12, if required and if cops are able to gather evidence, then a supplementary charge sheet can be filed as well.
"This is a bogus case. I was not even there on campus that day. Everyone will be acquitted," Rashid said. "It is politically motivated," said Aparajita. She also questioned the timing of the charge sheet ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
The police claim that they have evidence against Kanhaiya and others. "Kanhaiya's presence is established by the video footage and the fact that he supported seditious slogans through the statement of witnesses," police officials said.
As per the investigating officials, 13 video footages have been found genuine apart from statements and other documented proof that has been listed as evidence in the charge sheet. The names of 10 accused are Kanhaiya Kumar, Syed Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, seven Kashmiri students namely Aqueeb Hussain, Basharat Ali, Mujeeb Hussain Gattoo, his brother Muneed Hussain Gattoo, Umair Gul, Rayees Rasool and Khalid Bashir Bhat.
The presence of the Kashmiri students was established through mobile video footage. Some of the Kashmiri students, who have been named in the charge sheet did not cover their face at the event.
The charge sheet has been filed under sections 124A (sedition), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 149 (unlawful assembly), 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) for all the 10 accused. However, Khalid has also been chargesheeted under section 465 (punishment for forgery) and 471 (using a forged document as a genuine) besides the above mentioned. Sources said that Khalid had forged signatures of few persons for permission even though no official permission was granted for the event by JNU authorities.
The charge sheet also mentions various anti-national slogans which were raised apart from "Bharat tere tukde honge inshaallah inshallah". The other slogans mentioned in the charge sheet and seen in the video footage are "Bharat ki barbadi tak Azadi, Bharat ke mulk ko ek jhatka aur do, hum cheen ke lenge azadi, ladke lenge azadi, Indian Army ko raga do, hum kitne maqbool maroge har ghar se maqbool niklega, Kashmir ki Azadi tak jung rahegi, Go India Go back."
Serious Charges
- Ten accused had raised anti-India slogans on February 9, 2016 at the JNU campus
- Charge sheet filed against Kanhaiya Kumar, Syed Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Aqueeb Hussain, Basharat Ali, Mujeeb Hussain Gattoo, Muneed Hussain Gattoo, Umair Gul, Rayees Rasool and Khalid Bashir Bhat
- They have been charged under IPC section 124A (sedition), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 465 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine, forged document), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 149 (unlawful assembly with common object), 147(rioting), & 120B (criminal conspiracy)
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