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Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition row

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JNU, Delhi

In February 2016, a pro-Kashmiri protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) led to protests by members of the Hindu nationalist student union ABVP and the arrest of the JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid on charges of sedition. The arrest led to a major political controversy.

Onset

On 9th February, a cultural evening was organised by 10 students, formerly of the Democratic Students' Union (DSU), at the Sabarmati Dhaba, against the execution of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Kashmiri separatist leader Maqbool Bhat, and for Kashmir's right to self-determination. The students organising the event had pasted posters inviting people to gather for a protest march against the "judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt."

According to India Today, "Anti-India" slogans like "Kashmir ki azadi tak jung chalegi, Bharat ki barbadi tak jung chalegi" ("War will continue till Kashmir's freedom, war will continue till India's demolition") were "reportedly raised at the protest meet."

Government, University and Students' Union response

Members of the JNU branch of ABVP (a student union belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh family of organisations—the Sangh Parivar) protested at the University demanding expulsion of the student organisers.

The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (also belonging to the Sangh Parivar) tweeted "If anyone shouts anti India slogan & challenges nation's sovereignty & integrity while living in India, they will not be tolerated or spared."

Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Students' Union (JNUSU), said: "We are appalled at the way the entire incident is being used to malign JNU students. At the outset, we want to condemn the undemocratic slogans that were raised by some people on that day. It is important to note that the slogans were not raised by members of Left organisations or JNU students."

JNUSU vice-president Shehla Rashid said "We condemn the undemocratic slogans that were raised by some people on that day. In fact, when the sloganeering had been taking place, it was the Left-progressive organisations and students, including JNUSU office-bearers, who asked the organisers to stop the slogans, which were regressive."

JNU administration ordered a "disciplinary" enquiry into the holding of an event on campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, despite denial of permission, saying any talk about country’s disintegration cannot be "national". The University’s move came in wake of protests by members of ABVP outside the VC office demanding expulsion of students who "misled" the university about nature of the event.

Arrests of student leaders

The Delhi Police arrested the JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy, under section 124 of the Indian Penal Code dating back to 1860.

The arrest soon snowballed into a major political controversy, with several leaders of opposition parties visiting the JNU campus in solidarity with the students protesting against the police crackdown. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated that while the students would not be harassed, the "guilty would not be spared". Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiran Rijiju said the JNU would not be allowed to become a hub for "anti-national" activities.

University teachers have criticised the arrest as "excessive police action". JNU students formed a human chain, demanding that sedition charges against Kanhaiya Kumar be dropped.

Amnesty India, said Kumar’s arrest and the charges against him are “uncalled for” and “India's sedition law contrary to international standards on freedom of expression must be repealed.”

More than 500 academics from around the world, including JNU alumni, released a statement in support of the students, stating that the JNU stands for a vital imagination of the space of a University that "embraces critical thinking, democratic dissent, student activism, and the plurality of political beliefs." In a separate statement, over 130 world-leading scholars including Noam Chomsky, Orhan Pamuk and Akeel Bilgrami called it a "shameful act of the Indian government" to invoke sedition laws formulated during colonial times to silence criticism. Students from University of California, Berkeley, Yale University and University of London showed their solidarity by recording videos reading out the speech of Kanhaiya Kumar which was labelled seditious.

Fabrications

Zee News reported that some of the students from Democratic Students' Union (DSU) raised slogans such as "Bharat Ki Barbadi" ("Destruction of India") and " Pakistan Zindabad" ("long live Pakistan") The Zee News report was found to be based on a misinterpretation by Zee News. In a letter Vishwa Deepak, one of the Zee News producer of the itmes, stated "Our biases made us hear Bhartiya Court Zindabad as Pakistan Zindabad." ("long live Indian courts" as "long live Pakistan.") Subsequently Vishwa Deepak resigned from the channel after expressing reservations over its 'biased coverage'. The misinterpretation was disclosed when the Aam Aadmi Party filed a complaint, alleging that ABVP-students raised "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans. The ABVP admitted that members of their organisation had been present, but shouted "Bharatiya Court Zindabad" and "Indian Army Zindabad," and filed a counter complaint. The police then declared that "the footage had been tampered with."

Another video, dated 11 february 2016, which showed a speech by JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar maing anti-national slogans, appears to be doctored. According to India Today, "In the original video, Kanhaiya is asking to end social ills such as caste and communalism not anti national slogans, experts said."

On 14 February 2016, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh alleged that the JNU incident has the support of the LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. Doubts were soon expressed if this was tied to the discredited alert by Delhi Police that used a tweet from a fake/parody account.

Patiala House court attacks

The journalists covering this sedition case were assaulted by the lawyers outside the Patiala House court which led to a protest by the journalists against the violence that took place.

On 16 February 2016, the Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear an urgent plea seeking "free and fair access to justice" to Kanhaiya Kumar, following acts of violence against JNU students and lecturers as well as a number of journalists at the Patiala House Court premises under the watch of police. It transferred to the bail plea of Kanhaiya Kumar to the Delhi High Court to ensure his safety.

Notes

  1. According to Vishwa Deepak, there is a pro-Modi bias at Zee News, and that Zee News "has abetted a riot-like situation." In response, Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary said "Our channel only showed what was happening there, whatever we have shown is 100 per cent authentic. How far will you push freedom of speech?"

References

  1. ^ "JNU orders probe into Afzal Guru event". theweek.in. 2016-02-10. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  2. ^ "JNU student leader held on 'sedition' charges over Afzal Guru event". The Indian Express. 2016-02-13. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  3. A private restaurant near the Sabarmati hostel (Little Black Book, Delhi+Gurgaon, On campus at night, dhaba debates, hushed queries and angry charges, Indian Express, 14 February 2016).
  4. ^ IndiaToday.in (2016-02-11). "Afzal Guru: A martyr in JNU campus? Anti-India slogans raised, no arrests made : News". IndiaToday. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  5. See also IndiaBTL at Twitter, Y'day, In JNU- "Kashmir ki azadi tak, jung chalegi, Bharat ki barbadi tak, jung chalegi" Anti-national communists., including short video.
  6. "Rajnath Singh on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  7. "JNU student union criticises 'anti-India' slogans, attacks ABVP". http://www.hindustantimes.com/. Retrieved 2016-02-19. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  8. "Pro-Afzal Guru sloganeering: JNUSU fight gets intense, AISA denies making anti-national slogans - Firstpost". Firstpost. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  9. India (2016-02-10). "Afzal Guru event: Anti-India slogans at JNU campus; 'disciplinary' enquiry ordered". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  10. "Why an Indian student has been arrested for sedition". BBC News. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  11. "Showdown escalates on JNU campus". The Hindu. 2016-02-14. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  12. "India student leader held on sedition charges - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  13. "JNU row: Students form human chain, Cong demands action against ABVP | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  14. Calamur, Krishnadev. "The Sedition Charge Against a Student Leader in India". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  15. "JNU world alumni back university students, faculty". The Tribune. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  16. ‘JNU events signal culture of authoritarian menace’, The Hindu, 16 February 2016.
  17. Chomsky to JNU V-C: why did you allow police on campus?, The Hindu, 21 February 2016.
  18. Students In California, Yale Narrate JNU Student Kanhaiya's 'Seditious' Speech, NDTV, 21 February 2016.
  19. "From 'Pakistan Zindabad' to 'Bharat ki barbaadi' - Slogans that were raised by 'anti-nationals' in JNU". Zee News. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  20. ^ Sarah Hafeez (22 February 2016). "Zee News producer quits: Video we shot had no Pakistan Zindabad slogan". The Indian Express.
  21. ^ "We speak with the Zee News journalist who resigned over the channel's coverage of #JNURow". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  22. India Today http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/forensic-experts-say-kanhaiya-video-was-doctored/1/600808.html. Retrieved 2016-02-22. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  23. "JNU row: Did a fake video fuel the anti-national fire?". India Today. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  24. "Understand the reality... Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed backed JNU incident: Home Minister Rajnath Singh". The Indian Express. 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  25. "JNU row: Behind govt claim, a fake 'Hafeez' Saeed tweet". The Indian Express. 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  26. "Attack at Patiala House court: Indian Express journalists recount the assault". The Indian Express. 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  27. "Journalists stage protest over attack at Patiala House court : India, News - India Today". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  28. "Supreme Court agrees to urgent hearing on plea over JNU row". The Hindu. 2016-02-16. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  29. SC transfers JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar's bail plea to Delhi High Court, The Hindu, 19 February 2016.
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