The Delhi police, which had come under criticism over its handling of the JNU situation, has now virtually cautioned senior politicians, particularly from the Opposition, not to enter the campus. The police indicated in an internal report that the visits of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former Union ministers Anand Sharma and Ajay Maken, CPI MP D. Raja and ousted AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Anand Kumar to the JNU campus and their interaction with students could aggravate the situation. The police feels such visits may set resentment brewing not only among Left-supported student groups but also within the entire student community, including at other educational institutions. The police felt that these leaders’ attempts to link the JNU issue with the suicide of a dalit student at Hyderabad University some time back was sending a dangerous signal and could worsen the situation across the country.
The police team interrogating Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya seems to have hit a wall as the JNU students held in a sedition case continued to deny involvement in any sloganeering and challenged claims that the slogans were “anti-national”. A Delhi court also refused to allow the police to collect the voice samples Umar and Anirban in the sedition case.
Three students — JNUSU general secretary Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Anant Prakash — who are among those the police was looking for over the sedition case, reportedly shared contact details with the police on Thursday, saying they are open to “questioning or arrest”. The trio, along with Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhat-tacharya, resurfaced at the campus Sunday night after going missing after the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.
In its internal report, the police has given details about the way politicians of other outfits, including BJP MP Mahesh Giri and INLD-backed Indian National Students Organisation leader Digvijay Chautala, had visited the JNU campus. The report, a copy of which was accessed by this newspaper, clearly states that from 5 pm February 13, about 50-60 activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad also shouted slogans like “Rahul Gandhi go back”. It said the ABVP activists shouted slogans against Mr Gandhi around his vehicle also tried to block his way while he was heading out of the campus. “However, he left the place swiftly in another vehicle through a different route without any intimation to the security people present in his vehicle.”
The report said: “When Congress leader Anand Sharma was there to see off his leader Rahul Gandhi, there was a commotion in the crowd and some people jostled and argued among themselves. The ABVP protestors kept on shouting slogans while Anand Sharma was leaving the protest venue.” The report added that given the sensitivity of the matter, a sharp vigil with adequate security steps was needed to avert any untoward incident in the campus.
The report said students, teachers and activists shouted anti-government and pro-Kanhaiya Kumar slogans at a meeting in the campus that was addressed by Mr Gandhi, Mr Maken, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja, Prof Anand Kumar, Yogendra Yadav and women rights activist Kavita Krishnan. The report clearly states all the speakers not only condemned the alleged “anti-national” slogans, but also attacked the Centre for curbing their freedom of expression and infringing their constitutional rights. The speakers were critical about the police being allowed to enter the JNU campus.
The first politician whose name was mentioned in the report is Mr Raja, who addressed a gathering at the campus at 5.30 pm on February 12. During his address, Mr Raja criticised the Centre for falsely implicating the students and added that they “didn’t want to learn patriotism from these so-called nationalists”. After that a debate was organised by a TV channel where Mr Raja and BJP MP Mahesh Giri had taken part.
