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Kanhaiya Kumar
कन्हैया कुमार
File:Kanhaiyah kumar.jpg Kanhaiya kumar
Born	Begusarai, Bihar, India
Nationality	Indian
Education	pursuing Ph.D. in African Studies at JNU
Occupation	Student Leader
Organization	All India Students Federation

Kanhaiya Kumar (Hindi- कन्हैया कुमार) is a student leader of All India Students Federation (AISF), the student wing of Communist Party of India (CPI). He was elected as president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union in 2015. In February 2016, he was arrested and charged with sedition after some students held a rally against the 2013 hanging of Mohammed Afzal Guru, a Kasmiri separatist convicted over the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.

Early Life and Political career

Kanhaiya Kumar was born and brought up in a village called Bihat in Begusarai district, in Bihar, India. This village is part of the Teghra legislative assembly constituency, which is known to be a stronghold of Communist Party of India (CPI). Kanhaiya Kumar’s father, Jaishankar Singh, is suffering from paralysis and has been bedridden for a few years. His mother, Meena Devi, is an Anganwadi worker. He has an elder brother who works in private sector. His family has traditionally been CPI supporters.

Kanhaiya Kumar studied in RKC High School in Barauni, an industrial town in Bihar. During his school days, Kumar took part in several plays and activities organized by IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association), a left-leaning cultural group going back to the days of India’s freedom struggle. After completing his school education, in 2002 he moved to Patna and joined the College of Commerce, where he was initiated in student politics. He joined the AISF and a year later was selected as a delegate at its conference in Patna. After completing his post graduation, Kanhaiya Kumar moved to Delhi and joined JNU where he is currently pursuing a PhD in African studies at the School of International Studies. In 2015 September, Kanhaiya Kumar became the first AISF member to become president of the JNU students’ union, defeating the AISA (All India Students Association), ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad), SFI (Students' Federation of India) and NSU (National Students' Union of India) candidates.

2016 sedition controversy

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On 12 February 2016, Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested by Delhi police and a case was registered against him on Feb 13, under IPC Sections 124-A (sedition) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) over an event organised by some students at the Jawaharlal Nehru university campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, following complaints by BJP Member of Parliament Maheish Girri and ABVP. Kanhaiya Kumar denied the charges and said that he was neither shouting any slogan nor saying anything against integrity of the country. He said in an interview that "I dissociate myself from the slogans which were shouted in the event. I have full faith in the Constitution of the country and I always say that Kashmir is an integral part of India”. During his interrogation Kanhaiya has insisted that he did not say anything that was seditious.

Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest soon snowballed into a major political controversy and has drawn sharp reactions from opposition parties, teachers, students and academics.Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University went on strike over Kanhaiya Kumar’s arrest which effectively paralysed the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Kanhaiya Kumar's parents alleged that their son is a victim of Hindutva politics On February 15, 2016 when Kanhaiya Kumar was brought to the Patyala House court, violence broke out and JNU teachers, students and journalists were attacked by lawyers. Kanhaiya Kumar was on 17 February 2016, for his own good, reportebly beaten up by some lawyers inside the Patiala House court.

References

External links

Text of Kanhaiya Kumar's speech at JNU, Hindustan Times, 17 February 2016.

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