JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar Beaten Up Inside Court Premises
In Blatant Violation Of Supreme Court Orders To Ensure His Safety
By Countercurrents.org
17 February, 2016
Countercurrents.org
In blatant violation Supreme Court order to ensure the security of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar when he is produced in Patiala House court, he was beaten up by lawyers in the court premises. The lawyers also beat up a journalist and a student. Despite the Supreme Court putting restrictions on who can enter the court during his appearance, a group of lawyers assembled inside the complex shouting slogans and beat up Kanhaiya Kumar when he was brought to the court by the police.
Taking note of fresh ‘violence’ at Patiala House, Supreme Court have appointed a five-member team to assess the ground situation and report back to it. The apex Court on also asked Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi to submit an explanation by tomorrow on his failure to ensure law and order at Patiala House today. The court asked Bassi to take responsibility or else its would issue orders to stop the law and order situation at Patiala court from spiraling out of control.
The Supreme Court had, earlier in the day, restricted the number of people inside the courtroom, allowing only five reporters and two supporters of the arrested students to attend the hearing.
Later the court sent Kanhaiya Kumar to 14 days of judicial custody. Kanhaiya Kumar was taken to the Tihar central jail. He was taken out of the Patiala House Court almost four hours after he reached the court and was attacked by the lawyers.
Kanhaiya Kumar filed two pleas in the court today. One of Kumar’s appeal sates that he suspects a threat to his life.
The second appeal is questioning the Delhi police’s claim of having evidence proving his culpability. Delhi police commissioner BS Bassi had claimed that the evidence in possession of Delhi police is enough to prove the sedition charges levied against Kumar.
An appeal that was filed by Kumar was that all electronic evidence against him must be presented to him.
On February 15 also a section of lawyers had beaten up JNU students and media persons inside the court premises when Kanhaiya Kumar was produced in the court to extend his police custody.
Yesterday, top editors of national media and hundreds of journalists hit the streets demanding action against those involved in beating up members of their fraternity in the court complex in the presence of police .
The journalists had also sought the SC's intervention in protecting freedom of speech.
Kanhaiya Kumar, president of Jawaharlal Nehru University's students union was arrested on 12th February in a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy. Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested allegedly for raising anti-India slogans at an event organised by the students to commemorate the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged in Tihar Jail on February 9, 2014.
He was arrested by the Vasant Kunj north police in south Delhi. Earlier on Thursday, police took suo-moto cognizance and registered an FIR against unknown students.
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).