JNU row: Ascertain authenticity of 'anti-national' video before arrest, says Congress

Delhi Police Commissioner Bassi asked the JNU students to join the probe and present evidence of their innocence

The Congress party on Monday said the rationale of arresting five JNU students accused of sedition, was not apt till the time the authenticity of the video in which 'anti-national' slogans were allegedly raised was confirmed.

"First of all the police needs to ascertain, the government needs to ascertain whether the alleged video is authentic or it is morphed, whether it is real or it is fake. Till the time, the authenticity of the video is not ascertained the rationale of arrest just does not arise," Congress leader Manish Tewari said.

Read more from our special coverage on "JNU ROW"

• Take action as per law, says ABVPs JNU unit
• Join probe and prove your innocence: Bassi tells JNU students
• JNU row: Police can arrest us, will not resist, says JNUSU general secretary Rama Naga
• Serving armed forces officer tells us how to save the nation from pseudo-nationalism
• JNU row: Umar Khalid, others resurface on campus, top univ officials to discuss next step

"The entire complaint or the FIR is based upon a purported video. The video for the first time was put out by ABVP which is a front organisation of the RSS. So, please determine whether the video is real or fake before going ahead and arresting people," he added.

Delhi Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi today asked the JNU students, who returned to the university campus last night, to join the probe and present evidence of their innocence.

He also said that the police entering the JNU campus won't deteriorate the situation in the varsity.

Umar Khalid, along with four others - Anant Prakash Narayan, Ashutosh Kumar, Rama Naga and Anirban Bhattacharya - returned to the university campus last night.

The police is waiting for JNU vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar's permission to enter the university campus to arrest the students, who have been accused of allegedly raising anti-India slogans during an event at the varsity on February 9.

All five students had gone missing after JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested and charged with sedition.