JNU rusticates Khalid, bars Bhattacharya for 5 years

Fine of Rs 10,000 imposed on JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar after he was pronounced guilty of indiscipline

Jawaharlal Nehru University on Monday slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and rusticated three others for varying durations for their alleged role in the controversial February 9 event for which they were charged with sedition, an action which had sparked outrage and triggered protests.

Based on the findings of a high-level enquiry committee (HLEC), Umar Khalid has been rusticated for one semester and Anirban Bhattacharya till July 15. Khalid has also been slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 and Bhattacharya has been barred from the JNU campus for a period of five years from July 23.

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Kashmiri student, Mujeeb Gattoo, has been rusticated for two semesters. A penalty of Rs 10,000 has been imposed on JNU students union (JNUSU) joint secretary Saurabh Sharma, the only ABVP member in the union.

Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya were arrested on charges of sedition in February in connection with the controversial event and are out on bail.

While Khalid and Bhattacharya were blamed for “triggering communal violence” and “disrupting” communal harmony on the campus, Gattoo was found guilty of participating in sloganeering.

Kumar was pronounced guilty of indiscipline and misconduct.

Those who have been imposed fine of Rs 20,000 each include Ashutosh Kumar, Chintu Kumari, General Secretary Rama Naga, Aishwarya Adhikari, Anant Prakash Narayan and Gargi for “violating” disciplinary norms.

In his reaction, Kanhaiya said the punitive action announced by the authorities was “simply unacceptable” and the students rejected it. The students will hold an “all party” meeting late Monday night to finalise future course of action.