Row over JNU event: Police ask 5 Kashmiri students to join probe

Incidentally, a high-level enquiry committee set up by JNU to look into the February 9 event, had said in its report that 10-15 “outsiders” who had their faces covered with a “cloth/scarf” raised the slogans. The panel said the presence of these “outsiders” was verified by security staff as well as eyewitnesses.

Police have identified three more Kashmiri students who allegedly raised anti-national slogans at the event held to mark the third anniversary of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, said the sources.

Sources told The Indian Express the decision to ask the five Kashmiri students to join the investigation was taken after police received the final forensic examination report of a raw video footage of the event. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory, CBI, found it to be “authentic”, the sources added.

Following the February 9 event, police had arrested three JNU students — JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya — on charges of sedition. Later, all three got bail.

“The investigating officer of the case sent letters to the heads of the three central universities last week, asking them to direct their students to join the police investigation. Police identified all the eight Kashmiri students, including two brothers, on the basis of Khalid’s questioning and statements of others students,” said a source aware of the developments in the case.

Sources said police had also collected evidence after scanning social media profiles of some of the students. “One of them had posted a slogan raised at the event on Facebook. Most of these students were asked to mobilise people for the event,” said a source. According to the source, investigators have also retrieved phone messages between Kumar and Khalid.

Arvind Deep, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), did not respond to calls and text messages for comment.