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Two Indian students facing sedition charges surrender to police

Xinhua, February 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Two students at India's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have surrendered before police in New Delhi, officials said Wednesday.

The duo was wanted by Delhi police probing seditious sloganeering case at JNU.

"Two JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, facing the charge of sedition, surrendered before Delhi Police late last night," an official said.

The students surrendered after Delhi High Court refused to grant them protection from arrest on Tuesday. The court told them to hand themselves over to police and face the law.

Khalid and Bhattacharya surfaced on JNU campus last Sunday night after remaining underground since Feb. 12.

The two students are among the five students who, along with JNU students president Kanhaiya Kumar are accused of shouting "anti-national" slogans at an event organized in the university campus on Feb. 9. The event was staged to mark the hanging anniversary of Mohammed Afzal Guru.

Guru, a Kashmiri was convicted for 2001 Indian parliament attack building and executed in 2013. Many in India and Indian-controlled Kashmir believe Guru was denied fair-trail.

The arrest of Kumar led to massive protests and clashes across India, besides generating a debate over "freedom of expression" in India at large.

The police had issued a lookout notice for the students after arresting Kumar.

Despite growing criticism from various quarters, the India's rightwing Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP)-led government is perusing the case vigorously and seems to be adamant on punishing what they describe as "anti-national elements".

Initially the Indian government accused the group of having links with terror outfit, an accusation strongly rejected by the students and their supporters.

"If the Jaish-e-Mohammed knows that I'm being called their member, they may do a dharna (protest) in front of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters. I have never projected myself as a Muslim, never thought of myself as a Muslim. On a lighter note, my name is Umar Khalid and I am not a terrorist," Khalid said after surfacing from days of hiding.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court Wednesday adjourned the hearing on Kumar's bail plea until Feb. 29.

The court directed police to conduct remand proceedings of arrested students secretly so that they are not harmed. Previously Kumar was attacked while being produced at a local court. Endit