JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition after a protest on Afzal Guru's execution.
Highlights
- Proof of JNU student's sedition based on 'reliable sources':Police report
- Delhi police report sent to Home Ministry after JNU student's arrest
- JNU student leader was arrested on charges of sedition last week
A report of the Delhi Police explaining the arrest of a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University or JNU credits "reliable sources" as the basis for alleging that the student's behaviour was seditious.
The report was sent to the Home Ministry and senior police officers after the arrest on February 14 of Kanhaiya Kumar, the 28-year-old president of the JNU Students' Union. It was prepared by the Special Branch which collects intel on security for the police force in the capital.
Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju told NDTV on Tuesday evening that "material evidence" against Mr Kumar will be presented soon.
Mr Kumar has been charged with sedition, for which the maximum sentence is life imprisonment. His arrest, defended by Delhi Police chief BS Bassi and the government, has enraged students and faculty at the prestigious JNU and other campuses. It has also united the opposition in declaring that the government's intent to crush dissent stands thoroughly exposed.
The police report states that on February 9, a cop noticed a poster on the JNU campus for an event that evening that asked for students to rally in part against the hanging of Afzal Guru, who was found guilty of attacking Parliament in 2001. Officials at JNU were warned of possible "unrest" and they cancelled permission for the event.
However, students like Mr Kumar allegedly gathered at a popular
dhaba or food stall. "The Left supported student groups", according to the report, then broke into anti-India cheers - about 15 students including Kanhaiya Kumar are listed as offenders based on information from "reliable sources". A rival group of students from the BJP's student wing, the ABVP, also arrived at the
dhaba and shouted
"Bharat Mata ki jai".
The rival camps verbally attacked each other but then left the area peacefully.
Mr Kumar remains in police custody. The report about his arrest makes no reference to videos of the controversial event. So far, the only footage on social media is of his speech which does not contain anti-India remarks. Police Chief Bassi, however, says there is enough evidence to prove the case against the student.