Jawaharlal Nehru University on Friday night cancelled the suspension of its Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and seven others. The move came after a high-level committee instituted to investigate the February 9 event where students allegedly shouted anti-national slogans filed its findings. Six of the students will not be able to participate in academic activities, and further action will be taken against the eight students based on the committee’s findings.
Kumar was arrested and then released on interim bail after he was accused of shouting anti-national slogans at the event protesting against the hanging of Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru. His peers Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya are still in jail. Reports said some students will be fined, while others may have to leave their hostels or might be rusticated. The committee was criticised by students because it had no women or Schedule Caste/Schedule Tribe members.
Even as the students mired in controversy were allowed to resume their activities at JNU, more posters threatening them reportedly surfaced on Saturday morning. An image of a poster was circulated on social media with a caption claiming it was put up at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. However, a police team that searched the area said there were no such posters. Hindustan Times reported that the poster said “to shoot the traitors of JNU is a Rashtradharm (national duty). I shall shoot Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and Kanhaiya.”
Earlier, Adarsh Sharma, the head of a little-known fringe group Purvanchal Sena was arrested after he circulated posters offering a Rs 11 lakh bounty for JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.
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