New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretary, Delhi Police Commissioner and the Registrar of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over police action in the varsity campus and called for a report within two weeks.
“The Commission has come across a news report captioned “Govt. acts tough, JNU student leader charged with sedition” published in “The Hindu” on 13.02.2016. It is reported that the President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union was arrested on the charge of Sedition after allegedly raising anti-India slogans. However, the President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union, kanhaiya Kumar, has denied the allegations stating that he went to the spot only to intervene in a clash between two groups,” the NHRC said in a release.
“It is also alleged that police is mindlessly patrolling the campus and students are being witch-hunted and demonized for doing nothing,” the release adds.
Stating that this incident has also received widespread coverage both in print and electronic media, the NHRC further said it is widely alleged that the action of the police was illegal and high-handed and was an attempt suppress freedom of speech and expression in academic institutions.
“It is also alleged that the charge of sedition was falsely added to intimidate falsely added to intimate those who dissent,” the release adds.
