Delhi police officials said officers are trying to identify those involved in the violence but have made no arrests despite several newspapers naming the lawyers and publishing their photographs prominently.
Advertisement
“I have spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner and asked him to send a detailed report on the Patiala court incident today itself”, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi told reporters here.
Ten student organisations owing allegiance to different political parties on Wednesday pledged support to JNUSU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on a sedition charge. “The university condemns the alleged attack on them and is of the view that the law should be allowed to take its course”.
Hundreds of policemen were deployed at the Patiala House Court in Delhi ahead of Kumar’s appearance, after students, academics and journalists were attacked when they turned up to see him on Monday. The left-wing student leader is facing controversial sedition charges, though he denies he was among those chanting anti-India slogans at a rally last week to mark the 2013 hanging of Afzal Guru for the 2001 attack on Parliament.
The assault on the JNU student leader and journalists evoked strong reactions from the intelligentsia and media.
The attacks and Kumar’s arrest highlighted allegations of increasing of intolerance in India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.
Some commentators and legal experts fault the government for exploiting the colonial-era sedition law to silence its opponents, when it should instead have left university rectors to manage what they say is no more than exuberant student debate. “We are investigating the matter and other people are commenting whether there are evidences or not, This is odd”, said Bassi.
Mr. Bassi said since Kumar is making an appeal, he personally feels that a young person can perhaps be considered for being given a chance. Some threw stones at journalists.
The panel was empowered by supreme court to visit Patiala House Court and report back about the violence done by lawyers.
Advertisement
He said summons had been issued to three lawyers and BJP MLA O P Sharma in connection with yesterday’s assault on journalists. “We will take this movement to every central university and fight till the time we get justice”, All India Students Federation (AISF) general secretary Vishwajeet Kumar told the media here.
