IANS
NEW DELHI, FEBruary 17
Under fire for his attempt to play down Monday’s attack on journalists in the Patiala House Court, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday accepted that it was “a serious matter” and that the police would act against those involved.
On a day that saw fresh attacks on reporters, Rijiju said his comment on the subject had been misinterpreted, adding he did not “mean to dilute the seriousness of the attack on journalists”.
In an interview to a TV channel, Rijiju had defended Delhi Police chief B.S. Bassi’s description of the attack on journalists as a minor scuffle, by asking: “But was there a murder? I don’t know.”
The journalists were in the court to report the appearance of JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, accused of sedition for allegedly raising anti-India slogans at an event at the Jawaharlal Nehru University on February 9.
Kumar was on Wednesday remanded in judicial custody till March 2.
Rijiju told IANS on the sidelines of a reception hosted by Bassi to mark the Delhi Police Raising Day: “My comment was misinterpreted... Whether murder or a scuffle, it needs to be taken seriously.
“Who can say that any beating of journalists is not a serious matter?” he asked, adding that the police were looking into the matter and “let us wait for the report to come”.
Asked why the police were pressing sedition charges on Kumar when courts rarely ever uphold such charges, the junior home minister said: “It is for the police to make the case… And it is for the courts to decide whether he case stands or not.”
Shatru for release of JNU leader
NEW DELHI: BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, who has often taken a position at variance with the party’s stand, on Wednesday came out in support of arrested JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is facing sedition charges, and called for his release soon.
“Hope wish and pray that he’s released soon, sooner the better...,” the actor-turned-politician said, adding Kumar has said nothing anti-national, contradicting his party’s stand on the issue.
“Have heard transcript of speech of Kanhaiya, our Bihar boy president of JNUSU. He has said nothing anti-national or against Constitution,” wrote Sinha on Twitter, the platform which he uses frequently to launch attacks against his party.
Kumar is facing sedition charges for allegedly shouting anti-national slogans during an event organised at JNU campus last week to protest the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on his third death anniversary.
As the Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) row escalated, Sinha also countered the claim by some BJP leaders that the prestigious varsity has become the hub of anti-national activities.
“It(JNU) is a seat of learning for some of India’s brightest young minds & also some very respectable teachers.
Save it from further embarrassment,” Sinha said.
Falsely implicated
PTI adds from New Delhi: Senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Wednesday alleged that arrested JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar has been “falsely implicated” and that he is ready to represent him in court.
“I am ready to represent Kanhaiya Kumar. I am usually busy with Supreme Court and High Court but if the need arises I will represent him because he is a fine student leader who has been falsely implicated,” Bhushan said.
Swaraj Abhiyan, the outfit floated by Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, has been supporting the students and teachers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University who have been agitating in the wake of Kumar’s arrest over charges of sedition.
Professor Anand Kumar, another leader of the group who also taught in JNU, has slammed the police action as “shameless abuse” of state power to settle political score which is making a “mockery of democracy”.
Kumar was arrested last week in connection with a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy registered over holding of the event at the varsity during which anti-India slogans were alleged to have been raised.
Minister regrets BJP legislator’s hooliganism
NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader and union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said his party legislator in Delhi O P Sharma “should not have taken law into his own hands and not resorted to violence” ahead of a court appearance of JNUSU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who has been charged with sedition.
The Communications and Information Technology Minister said the law will take its own course against Sharma and that the party could not possibly condone his actions.
Speaking to India Today TV, Prasad, however, justified the action taken by Delhi Police against the students of Jawarlal Nehru University (JNU), saying the Narendra Modi government “will not tolerate anti-national activities of any kind on campus”.
He also justified invoking of sedition charges against Kanhaiya Kumar.
The university has been on the boil over the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar after some students organised a meet to mark the anniversaries of executions of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front co-founder Maqbool Bhat. Anti-India slogans were raised at the gathering.
Delhi Police last Thursday registered a sedition case and arrested Kanhaiya Kumar. He was sent to three days’ police custody on Friday although he denied raising the anti-India slogans.
