JOIN USJNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested in a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy for holding an anti-national event inside the university premises, was today remanded to three-day police custody by a Delhi court.
Kanhaiya was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen where the police sought his custodial interrogation for five days to ascertain the alleged links of the accused persons, including those who are allegedly absconding, with terrorist groups.
The police told the court that Kanhaiya was also required to be interrogated for the purpose of identification of other accused who were seen shouting "anti-national" slogans during the event organised in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Campus on February 9.
The police also placed on record a CD of the event which the judge played inside the court room on a computer.
Kanhaiya told the court that he was neither shouting any slogan nor saying anything against integrity of the country and said he had rushed to the spot only to prevent a clash between ABVP workers and students organising the event.
He claimed in the court that this was a politically- motivated case and he was being framed by the police as he had defeated the ABVP candidate in the presidential elections of the JNU students' union (JNUSU).
He told the court that he did not endorse the slogans against India in any manner and has full faith in the Constitution of the country.
"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," Kanhaiya told the court.
After the CD was played inside the court room, the judge asked Kanhaiya about the identity of the persons who were seen shouting slogans in favour of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged after being awarded death penalty by the court, and Pakistan.
Responding to the court's query, the accused said he did not know all of them as they were outsiders but he can identify all the students who are from JNU.
The court, after hearing the submissions, remanded him to three days police custody till February 15.
During the hearing, the police claimed in the court that five other accused - Omar Khalid, Anant Prakash, Rama Naga, Ashutosh and Anirban - are absconding from JNU campus.
A case was registered yesterday under Sections of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj (North) Police station following complaints by BJP MP Maheish Girri and the ABVP.
A group of students had on February 9 held an event in the campus and allegedly shouted slogans against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in 2013.
The event occurred despite the varsity administration having cancelled the permission following a complaint by ABVP members, who had termed the activity as "anti-national".