Witnesses, videos, posters listed as evidence by police
CHARGES FILED Statements from 90 witnesses, social media posts, call details also in charge sheet
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Monday said that the statement of around 90 witnesses, 10 cellphone video clips, posters from the protest, social media posts and call detail records of students, organisers and participants of the event at JNU campus wherein “anti-india” slogans were allegedly raised, are the key evidence they have used to establish sedition charges against the former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and seven others.
Police said they have also charged Umar Khalid with forgery under sections 465 and 471 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) after they found that he had allegedly forged signatures of two JNU students in a letter seeking permission for the event on the campus. The permission to hold the event was, however, denied by the JNU administration.
An officer, on condition of anonymity, said that the police have found “enough evidence” to establish that Umar Khalid had raised anti-national slogans and that he was a key organiser since the pamphlets carried his name along with that of other organisers. “We have collected the call detail records of Umar Khalid and other students and outsiders that confirm that he was in regular touch with them before and during the event. Text messages exchanged between Umar Khalid and Kanahiya Kumar regarding the denial of the event’s permission is also key evidence,” said the officer, adding it was Umar who had invited the seven Kashmiri men to the event.
Two of the seven Kashmiri — Khalid Bashir Bhat and Mujeeb Hussain Gattoo — were students of JNU at that time. Others include Aqueeb Hussain, who is now a dentist and had allegedly raised anti-india slogans; Muneeb Hussain Gattoo, a student of Aligarh Muslim University at the time; Umair Gul, Basharat Ali who were studying at Jamia Milia Islamia; and Rayees Rasool, a freelance journalist.
A senior special cell officer said all the 10 accused persons have been named in the charge sheet on the basis of video evidence and eye-witness statements.
“We have at least 10 witnesses who confirmed that Kahnaiya, Umar and the eight others raised anti-national slogans. They also confirmed that Kanhaiya incited the gathering for raising the slogans. The video footage we have shows Kanhaiya raising hands as slogans were raised,” the officer said on condition of anonymity.
The officer added that JNU’S
internal enquiry reports, documents of suspension of some students, and the fine levelled against them have also been used as evidence.
The officer said that a CD handed over by Zee News, which shows the students shouting slogans is also vital evidence in the case. Police have attached a report from the forensic science laboratory,
which has reportedly ruled out any tampering of the footage. The news channel had run a story about the sloganeering at JNU campus on the basis of a video captured by their cameraperson.
It was on the basis of the news report that the Delhi Police had registered the FIR.
Another official, who did not wish to be identified, said that
among the many eyewitnesses are three police officers — head constable Rambir and constables Karambir and Dharambir — who were wearing plain clothes and were present during the reported sloganeering. “On receiving the information about a rally at the campus, the local police had sent the three officers in plainclothes. They said they saw the persons shouting these
slogans. The fact that they were in JNU that evening had also been mentioned in our police dairy records. Their statements have been recorded,” the officer said.
Others witnesses named in the charge sheet are the security guards, the university’s chief security officer, local police officers and some university students.