Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar — who was arrested from the JNU recently on charges of sedition — was sent to judicial custody on Wednesdaytill 2 March by a court here. Meanwhile, 10 students’ organisations which owe allegiance to various political parties pledged their support to Kanhaiya and demanded a judicial probe into the issue. They vowed to expand the size of their movement by taking it to all central universities in India.
Kanhaiya belongs to the Communist Party of India-affiliated All India Students Federation (AISF). He was arrested on 12 February after anti-India slogans were raised at a students’ gathering inside the JNU campus to how solidarity towards terrorists Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat on 9 February .
Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen gave the ruling after Delhi Police said it did not need the president of the JNUSU any more for interrogation. “We want a judicial probe into the whole issue, including what happened on the JNU campus on 9 February as we don’t trust the central government agencies. We will take this movement to every central university and fight till the time we get justice,” said Vishwajeet Kumar, secretary, AISF.
The other organisations which came out in support of the JNU students include the National Students Union of India (NSUI), All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), Student Front of Swaraj (SFS) and the student wings of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal-United.
“Representatives of these 10 student bodies will take out a protest march from Mandi House to parliament on Thursday and hold a public meeting on Saturday,” SFI’s Vikram Singh said. Representatives of various teachers and non-teaching staff unions are also likely to participate.