Photocopy maker grilled over poster

Printed copies related to JNU event

The Delhi Police have interrogated a photocopy shop owner from whose shop organisers of the controversial February 9 event in JNU got their posters printed, sources said on Sunday.

Riyaz, who runs a photocopy shop in Ber Sarai colony close to the University campus, has confirmed that he made about 150-200 copies of a poster related to the February 9 event that had kicked up the sedition controversy.

On the other hand, investigators are very close to concluding that Umar Khalid, one of the three accused arrested in the case, is lying that he did not know any University outsider who attended the event.

“We have reason to suspect that Umar sent messages to Kashmir-based students to attend the meeting,” said a highly-placed official involved in transfer of the probe from South Delhi District police to anti-terror unit, Special Cell.  

Earlier, Ashutosh Kumar, one of the students named in the sedition case filed over the February 9 event, faced questions of investigators for the second day on Sunday about his role in organising the controversial event, said sources.

Kumar was grilled for the second successive day for eight hours at the R K Puram police station and sent back to the campus.

“Ashutosh was called around noon and kept in the questioning room till 8 pm. Police are basically ascertaining the chain of events on February 9 day, and also his role in it,’’ said Om, a member of All India Students Association (AISA), who spoke to Ashutosh after his questioning.

According to sources, Ashutosh will again be called by the Special Cell of Delhi Police, which was formally handed over the probe from the south district police on Saturday.

Police are also expected to call for questioning the other two JNU students Rama Naga and Anant Prakash Narayan who have been named in the sedition case.

Ashutosh, Naga and Narayan had few days ago communicated to the police through a letter their intention to join the police investigation.

The police are already interrogating JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar as well as Anirban Bhattacharya and Khalid. While Kanhaiya is in judicial custody, Khalid and Bhattacharya are in police custody.