28-year-old was attacked twice in court on Wednesday
28-year-old was attacked twice in court on Wednesday
JNU Students’ Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested on sedition charges by the Delhi police, told metropolitan magistrate Lovleen’s court that he had full faith in Indian judiciary and he never shouted any anti-India slogans.
The 28-year-old was attacked twice in the court on Wednesday — first he was kicked, slapped and punched by a group of lawyers and later slapped when he was kept in a room before the hearing.
He also identified one of the men dressed in a lawyer’s robe as one who had allegedly slapped him. As Mr Kumar spotted the person who had allegedly attacked him, the man fled from the courtroom. As soon as the metropolitan magistrate came to know about this, he rapped the police personnel saying as to how the alleged attacker had managed to enter the courtroom.
“What are you (cops) doing here How a man who was not allowed to enter the courtroom managed to sneak in and how did he managed to give you a slip after being identified as attacker ” he said while criticising the police. The court termed this as breach of security.
Mr Kumar was medically examined inside the courtroom and was found to have suffered abrasions on his nose, legs and face.
The court started hearing arguments after this and the prosecution, while producing Mr Kumar, said they did not want his further custody.
During the argument, Mr Kumar told the court that he had full faith in the Indian Constitution and he respects judiciary. “I also believe in the unity and sanctity of India. I do not support anything that goes against my country. On 9th February 2016, at my university campus an unfortunate incident took place. I condemn this incident in strong words,” he said.
The JNUSU president added that he was brutally assaulted by men wearing lawyers’ robes who also treated him like a terrorist. He said he was not a terrorist and loved his country.
“I have been beaten up inside the court premises. Due to this I have lost my slippers in all this melee. Please do not treat me like a terrorist, I abide by the Constitution of India,” he said. He said he had gone through a number of videos and came to know that a few people pretending to be JNU students were shouting anti-India slogans. He said that some of them were not JNU students. He said that he did not support them anyhow. “I appeal to everybody please do not disrupt peace at any university in this regard,” he said. Mr Kumar, from Begusarai district in Bihar, is a Ph.D. student in social transformation in South Africa between 1994 and 2015. Mr Kumar said he was not from a well-off family and had come to Delhi to complete his study and to be an asset of the country. He said that he regretted and condemns whatever happened. “The media trial against me is painful. If there is evidence against me that I am a traitor, then you please send me to jail. But if there no evidence against me, there should be no media trial,” he said in a statement at the start of the proceedings.
Mr Kumar was taken to Tihar Jail amid high security. Speaking to this newspaper, prison spokesperson Mukesh Prasad said Mr Kumar was lodged in jail number 3. The jail houses undertrial prisoners as well as some convicts.
“We have made all the arrangements and nothing untoward will happen to Kanhaiya,” he said.
