Kanhaiya Kumar among 10 chargesheeted as main accused in JNU sedition case

Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar along nine other has been chargesheeted in the JNU sedition case as main accused.

Delhi Police filed a 1,200-page charge sheet at Delhi's Patiala House Court here on Monday in connection with the JNU sedition case. The court will consider the charge sheet on Tuesday.

On February 9, 2016, anti-national slogans were allegedly raised on the JNU campus during a programme called to protest against the death sentence handed out to Afzal Guru, a convict in the Parliament attack case, which led to a massive row when the members of ABVP, the student wing of RSS, objected to the programme.

The charge sheet names 10 JNU students as main accused including Kanahiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, and seven Kashmiri students, namely, Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rasool, and Bashir Bhat. They have been accused of raising 'anti-national' slogans.

Then JNUSU vice president Shehla Rashid Shora along with CPI leader D Raja's daughter Aparajita Raja has also been named in the charge sheeted filed in the case, but not as main accused.

The charge sheet has been filed under Indian Penal Code's (IPC) Section 124A (sedition), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 465 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine, forged document), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 149 (unlawful assembly with common object), 147(rioting), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

According to information, the Delhi Police have used video-footages and other documents to support their points in the charge sheet, which has been filed almost after three years the incident took place on the JNU campus on February 9, 2016.

However, Kanhaiya Kumar has questioned the timing to file the charge sheet, accusing the Central government and the BJP of doing so for political gains in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"The charge sheet has been filed just before the Lok Sabha elections. It is politically motivated. The Central government has failed on every front and has fulfilled none of its promises. Therefore, all the cards that they have in their hands are being played by them," said Kanhaiya Kumar.