A Delhi Government-appointed magisterial probe did not find any evidence of JNU leader Kanhaiya Kumar raising anti-India slogans at a controversial event in the university, allegations based on which he was slapped with sedition charges by police.
According to the probe report, anti-national slogans were shouted at the campus and JNU administration has already identified “few faces” who were “clearly” heard raising them.
The probe panel said their whereabouts must be found out and their role must be investigated. The report said “nothing adverse” could be found against Kumar and that no witness or video was available to support allegations against the JNU students union president.
Kumar was granted interim bail for six months in the case by the Delhi High Court yesterday. It said seven videos of the event on February 9 to protest Afzal Guru’s hanging were sent to a Hyderabad-based forensic lab and out of them, three were found to be doctored including one clipping of a news channel.
The probe headed by New Delhi District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar said Umar Khalid was visible in many videos and that his support for Kashmir and Guru was known. He was the organiser of the event and his role should be further investigated, it said.
Umar and another JNU student Anirban Bhattacharya had surrendered before police on the night of February 24 and they were subsequently arrested in connection on sedition charge. Police had also questioned twice Ashutosh Kumar, another JNU student.
The probe was ordered by the city government on February 13 following massive outrage over Kumar’s arrest on charges of sedition. The report also cited claims of some of the JNU security staff that “possibly” Umar, Anirban and Ashutosh had raised the slogans protesting against the hanging of Guru and on Kashmir.
“Umar Khalid, who was the main organiser, is known for his views of Kashmir’s self determination and on Afzal Guru. He had organised many such programmes in past,” the report said. Many outsiders of Kashmiri descent with their faces covered were seen in vidoes shouting anti-India slogans and pro-Afzal Guru slogans and their identity and role need to be investigated, the report also said.