Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, two Jawaharlal Nehru University students accused of sedition were reportedly questioned for up to five hours after they surrendered to Delhi Police late on Tuesday night. They also underwent a medical examination. The two have been on the police’s radar after they were accused of shouting "anti-national" slogans at a protest against the hanging of Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru. Khalid and Bhattacharya have admitted to speaking in support of Guru at the protest that was organised, India Today reported.
The two students surrendered amid high security and were taken to Vasant Vihar police station. They are likely to be produced before a magistrate on Wednesday. The Times of India reported that the Maharashtra Police believe Khalid has links to Naxals. Khalid and four other students involved in the sedition case left the JNU campus when students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on February 11, but returned on Sunday night. Maharashtra police have said Khalid went to meet his JNU peer Hem Mishra in Nagpur. Mishra had been arrested for allegedly being a courier for the Maoists. Three other students who were accused of sedition, Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Anant Prakash, have not surrendered to police yet.
Meanwhile, here is the latest on:
Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest:
The JNUSU president’s bail plea has been postponed to February 29. The Delhi High Court earlier pushed the hearing to Wednesday and refused to hear any arguments on the issue till the Delhi Police submitted its report on Kumar. On Wednesday, the police informed the Delhi High Court it would seek fresh remand for Kumar after Khalid and Bhattacharya’s surrender. Kumar was remanded in judicial custody till March 2 and is currently at Tihar jail. The court told police to ensure that the three students in custody do not suffer any physical harm, though it agreed that the investigating agency has the "statutory right" to seek Kumar's custody right now.
The report was submitted on Tuesday. Reports have said the police’s investigation cites four grounds against Kumar, including video evidence that he shouted anti-national slogans at the Afzal Guru event. However, there are also reports that the footage the police are using as evidence has been doctored. Among the other evidence against Kumar, there are also witnesses cited in the report.
The Delhi Police's report affirmed Police Commissioner BS Bassi's remarks on Tuesday saying they were opposed against bail for Kumar. ANI said the report stated that Kanhaiya's release would set a bad precedent for student communities and would imply immunity from "anti-national activities". It also added that Kumar had not only participated in the Afzal Guru event in question, but had organised it, and that several "foreign elements" were present at the protest as well. The report said investigators are looking into the connections between Kumar, his co-accused, and the "foreign elements". It stated the event had was significant in Indua, but had international ramifications as well, PTI reported.
The Patiala House Court violence:
Lawyer Vikram Chauhan, one of those accused of assaulting people at the Patiala House Court, appeared before the police on Wednesday afternoon. The High Court will decide on what action needs to be taken against him next. Chauhan said he was just a proud Indian citizen, and that he didn't beat anyone up. On Tuesday, another lawyer Yashpal Singh, was arrested for beating up people at the court complex before Kumar’s hearing. Singh was given bail on Wednesday morning. He was arrested after a video showed him admitting to beating up Kanhaiya Kumar while he was in police custody.
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