7 Kashmiri students figure in JNU sedition case charge-sheet
Mehbooba questions timing of filing of charge-sheet in JNU sedition case
New Delhi, Jan 14 : The names of seven Kashmiri students have come up in the chargesheet that was filed by Delhi police on Monday regarding Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition case lodged in 2016.
According to reports, seven Kashmir students including Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rassol, Bashir Bhat and Basharat have been mentioned in the chargesheet besides JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and others.
The police also charged former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during an event on the university campus on February 9, 2016 to commemorate the hanging of Afzal Guru.
As many as 36 others, including Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja’s daughter Aprajita, Shehla Rashid (then vice-president of the JNUSU), Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Banojyotsna Lahiri have been named in column 12 of the chargesheet due to insufficient evidence against them, police sources said.
Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti questioned the timing of filing of charge-sheet in the 2016 JNU sedition case, in which seven Kashmiris have been named, saying the students were being used to score political points ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
These seven are among the 10 students, including former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar, charged by the Delhi Police for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during an event on the university campus on February 09, 2016 to commemorate the hanging of Parliament-attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru.
“No surprises here. We are months away from the 2019 general election and like always, using Kashmiris to score extra political points with the Indian electorate has become somewhat of a pre-requisite,” the Peoples Democratic Party chief said in a series of tweets.
“Timing of the charge sheet couldn’t be any more suspicious. When UPA was in power, it decided to send Afzal Guru to the gallows and to this day, J&K is paying a price,” Mufti said.
“Wonder how many more Kashmiris, along with their families, will have to pay a price to secure the political fortunes of national parties,” she said.
The accused have been charged with offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 124A (sedition), 143 (punishment for being a member of an unlawful assembly) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
The charge-sheet also contains CCTV footage, mobile footage and documentary evidence. (With inputs from PTI)
