Kanhaiya Kumar remanded to judicial custody till March 2
Our Correspondent /
Despite strict instruction from the Supreme court, President of student union of the Jawaharlal Nehru University JNU, Kanhaiya Kumar, was kicked and punched as he was rushed from a car into the Patiala court by police who protected him with a riot shield. some journalist were also attacked in the scuffle.
Kanhaiya accused of sedition, was assaulted by the same lawyers involved in Monday’s rioting.
JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is facing sedition charge, was remanded to judicial custody till March 2nd by a Delhi court today.
Reacting to the events, the apex court rushed a team of lawyers with police protection to assess the ground situation in the court.
On Monday, it was journalists and Kanhaiya Kumar’s supporters who were attacked. Today, the 28-year-old student, accused of sedition, was among those assaulted by the same lawyers involved in Monday’s rioting.
Kanhaiya Kumar has been arrested on charges of sedition for his role in a protest at JNU last week where he is accused of making anti-India remarks, a charge he denies.
Before he was brought to Delhi’s Patiala House court complex, the Supreme Court ordered strictly limited access to the lower court. However, defiant lawyers barged into the compound; rival groups clashed as they shouted competing slogans in favour of and against JNU. A journalist from First Post was injured.
As news of the violence broke, the Supreme Court rushed six senior lawyers including Kapil Sibal with police escort to the lower court to assess the conditions there.
“I am really ashamed,” said Soli Sorabjee, one of India’s most eminent lawyers about the violence, which included stones being thrown at reporters outside the court compound. “They are goons. Lawyers don’t behave this way.”
The arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar has turned into a major political controversy, with the opposition and large sections of the JNU students and faculty accusing the Centre of an unwarranted crackdown on campus dissent.