‘Kanhaiya was assaulted’
Medical report confirms JNU students was hit on his chest and back, had abbrasions on his nose and left foot
NEW DELHI: “Abrasions on the nose…on the left foot…tenderness on the right toe,” reads a medical report of Kanahaiya Kumar released on Friday, contradicting Delhi Police chief BS Bassi’s statement that the JNU students’ union president was not assaulted at the Patiala House court complex this week.
The student leader arrested on charges of sedition was produced in court on Wednesday where a group of lawyers allegedly linked to the BJP attacked him, some journalists and others.
HT has a copy of the medical report issued by doctors at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Kumar alleged the lawyers hit him, tore his clothes and pulled his hair. This happened in the presence of over 800 policemen, he said. The medical examination was conducted at the court premises following the allegations.
A physician at RML hospital also told HT that when Kumar was examined, he had a cut on his nose, scratch marks on the nape of his neck and arms while his right toe was crushed.
“Our job is not to judge what happened with Kumar that day. The patient had com- plained of chest pain and cough. This might be because he had received severe blows on his chest and back. However, this is just a possibility,” he said.
A team of three doctors conducted the examination and backed it in court before handing over the report to police. An FIR was registered at the Tilak Marg police station based on a written statement from the student leader.
In an interview to HT on Thursday, Bassi had insisted that Kumar was not assaulted and there was no need to detain the lawyers who went on a rampage.
“Policemen escorting Kanhaiya have denied the allegations of him getting beaten up by lawyers,” he said. “When Kanhaiya was brought to the court’s gate, the complex was full of people, including policeman who had formed a ring around him as he had to wade through the crowd. There was a lot of pushing and pulling. However, his safety was ensured.”
After the medical report was issued, however, special commissioner of police (law and order) Deepak Mishra said, “In the commotion, he tripped and his slippers slipped out of his feet, leading to imbalance, which might have resulted in abrasions on the feet.”