Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) leader Kanhaiya Kumar cannot be seen shouting anti-India slogans in a video that was used as a key evidence to slap sedition charges against him, the Delhi Police reportedly told the High Court on Monday.
The police said they have eyewitnesses to prove Kumar shouted slogans at an event organised Feb. 9 against the "judicial killing" of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The video that was used to registered a case against Kumar was provided by a leading news channel.
"In the video Kanhaiya Kumar cannot be seen shouting slogans. However, there are witnesses to his shouting slogans... We do have independent witnesses — JNU officials, Chief security officers and students of JNU," ANI quoted the Delhi Police as saying to the court.
"Every witness said Kanhaiya was leading the mob, shouting the slogans," ANI, in a tweet, quoted special public prosecutor Shailendra Babbar as saying.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Kumar, told the court that the JNU president was at the sight of sloganeering to break a fight. "Kanhaiya was only there to break fight, he opposes anti national slogans &didn't raise them," he said.
Kanhaiya Kumar's lawyer Kapil Sibal to Delhi HC- Kanhaiya was only there to break fight, he opposes anti national slogans &didn't raise them
— ANI (@ANI_news) February 29, 2016
The court Monday heard Kumar's bail plea and reserved its order till March 2. High Court Justice Pratibha Rani rapped the Delhi Police and asked how Kumar can be held responsible if outsiders shouted anti-India slogans, the Hindu reports. The court also asked the police whether it even know what sedition is.
'Do you even know what sedition is?' Delhi High Court asks police during hearing on JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar's bail request — NDTV (@ndtv) February 29, 2016
Meanwhile, a Delhi court Monday extended JNU students Umar Khalid's and Anirban Bhattacharya's police custody for one more day. The Special Cell of Delhi Police, which is now interrogating the two students, sought some time to question them, Press Trust of India reports.
Both Khalid and Bhattacharya had disappeared from the campus Feb. 12, the day Kumar was arrested, but returned to campus Feb. 21 night and handed themselves to police on Feb. 24. They are also facing sedition charges for organising the event where anti-India slogans were allegedly shouted.
