Two JNU students raised objectionable slogans: report

The high-level inquiry committee formed to look into the February 9 incident on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus has blamed “masked outsiders” for raising “objectionable slogans” and held Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and other organisers responsible for “allowing outsiders to take over the event”.

The report has also named two JNU students -- Mujeeb Gattoo and Mohd. Qadeer – who were “seen in close proximity of the outsiders” and were seen raising slogans.

“It is most unfortunate that the organisers allowed the event to be taken over by a group of outsiders who created a charged atmosphere by raising provocative slogans. This act by the outsider group has brought disrepute to the entire JNU community,” notes the report which is in possession of The Hindu.

While it mentions that Umar, Anirban, Ashutosh, Rama Naga, Shweta Raj, Gargi Adhikari, Chintu Kumari, Banojyotsana Lahri, Rubina Saife and Anjali were participating in sloganeering at the Sabarmati ground where various slogans were shouted including -- Hindustan ki barbadi tak jang rahegi and Manipur mange azadi , Nagaland mange azadi, it does not clarify who was shouting which slogan.

Umar and Anirban were arrested by the Delhi police on sedition charges a few days after Kanhaiya was arrested and are still in judicial custody in Tihar Jail.

“The presence of a group of outsiders was noted by security staff and confirmed by many other eyewitnesses. This group of students had their faces covered by a cloth/scarf most of the time. This group of people had engaged in shouting slogans like: Kashmir ki azadi tak, jang rahegi, jang rahegi ; Bharat ko ragda, de ragda, zor se ragdo, de ragda and Go India, go back . Along with these outsiders, one JNU student Mujeeb Gattoo was also seen participating in the sloganeering in the video clip,” the report adds.

The report, however, does not mention JUNSU president Kanhaiya Kumar’s name in any of the objectionable sloganeering. It mentions Kanhaiya's presence only once the gathering had reached the Ganga dhaba.

Kanhaiya was arrested by Delhi police on sedition charges for allegedly raising anti-national slogans and had to spend close to three weeks in police and judicial custody.

“On one side in the procession Umar Khalid, Ashutosh, Rama Naga and Kanhaiya Kumar were present and on the other side JNUSU Joint Secretary and ABVP member Saurabh Sharma along with Vinit Lal and Shruti Agnihotri were also present. There was a scuffle between the two groups but no violence as a human chain was formed by the security guards,” the inquiry committee has found.

It has further found Umar, Anirban and other organisers of the event of “not completing the process of seeking approval”.

The committee also notes that none of the JNUSU office bearers including Kanhaiya, Rama and Saurabh acted with responsibility. “The office bearers had to behave with even more restraint and caution befitting the position that they hold. They need to rise above politics and other differences as they represent the student community,” the report mentions.

The five-member committee comprising JNU professors Rakesh Bhatnagar, HS Bohidar, Sumar K Dhar, GJV Prasad and Ummu Salma Bawa, was constituted on February 11 to probe the events of February 9 and had filed its report on March 11. The committee was given three extensions to submit the report.

On the basis of the findings, the committee has recommended rustication for some students and fine for others.