New Delhi: Watching the news flashes on TV at a neighbour's house in Bihar's Begusarai district, Meena Devi breaks down. "Please do not call my son a terrorist," said the mother of Jawaharlal Nehru University student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar who was arrested for charges of sedition on Friday.
"We are constantly watching TV after we got to know that Kanhaiya has been arrested. I hope police does not beat him too much. He has never disrespected his parents, forget the country. Please do not call my son a terrorist. He cannot be one," his mother Meena Devi told Press Trust of India over phone from Bihar.
Meena, an Anganwadi worker who earns Rs 3,500 per month, says she and her eldest son Manikant are the sole bread- winners for the family as her 65-year-old husband has been bedridden for seven years due to paralysis.
Kanhaiya's father Jaishankar Singh, who was a farmer, said his son is being framed into the case for opposing "Hindutva politics".
"My son has been part of so many campaigns against the BJP government, be it on fellowships or suicide of a Dalit student in Hyderabad University. He is being victimised for his opposition to Hindutva politics," he said.
"Kanhaiya can never be anti-national. There is no question of his following an ideology of anti-nationalism. He is a nationalist like hundreds of thousands of youths of his age. He cannot insult 'Mother India'," he said.
Last year in September, Kanhaiya swept the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union polls with 1,029 votes to become its president - the first from the All India Students Federation (AISF), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI).
His brother, Prince, who is preparing for competitive exams, said the entire family has been associated with CPI for generations.
Kanhaiya was arrested earlier this week in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over the holding of an event at JNU against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. During the event, anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised.
"We are constantly watching TV after we got to know that Kanhaiya has been arrested. I hope police does not beat him too much. He has never disrespected his parents, forget the country. Please do not call my son a terrorist. He cannot be one," his mother Meena Devi told Press Trust of India over phone from Bihar.
Kanhaiya's father Jaishankar Singh, who was a farmer, said his son is being framed into the case for opposing "Hindutva politics".
Students at the JNU have been protesting against the police action on campus. (PTI photo)
Advertisement
Last year in September, Kanhaiya swept the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union polls with 1,029 votes to become its president - the first from the All India Students Federation (AISF), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI).
Advertisement
Kanhaiya was arrested earlier this week in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over the holding of an event at JNU against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. During the event, anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
JNU Sets Up Three Centres For Hindu, Buddhist And Jain Studies JNU Considering Reinstating Its PhD Entrance, Claims Teachers' Association Jawaharlal Nehru University MBA Admission 2024: Selection Process, Eligibility, Fees Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Shooter Had Trump's Face Right In Middle Of Crosshairs, Shows New Video Comedy Legend Bob Newhart Dead At 94: Publicist Israeli Strike Kills Field Commander In Elite Hezbollah Unit: Report Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.