Umar’s father terms JNU action as ”politically, communally motivated”

By India News Stream staff
July 6, 2018
New Delhi: Rusticated JNU student Umar Khalid’s father SQR Ilyas today described the University administration’s action against his son as ”politically and communally” motivated and accused the authorities of acting under the influence of the ruling BJP at the Centre.
A high-level inquiry committee on Thursday reportedly upheld the decision of the JNU administration to rusticate Khalid and fine student leader Kanhaiya Kumar with Rs 10,000 over February 9, 2016 event at the campus at which allegedly anti-national slogans were raised
” Umar is the only one among the 10 students allegedly involved in the 2016 event who has been singled out for rustication. I clearly see the JNU action against my son as politically and communally motivated,” Ilyas told India News Stream reacting to media reports on high-level inquiry panel’s decision.
The JNU action will affect my son’s career as he was going to submit his MPhill thesis this month, Ilyas said.
The action was all the more surprising in the face of the fact that the case was subjudice and the police was yet to file a charge-sheet, Khalid’s father said.
However, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) said that the after the finding of the high-level inquiry committee, which had got the video of the Afzal Guru event verified by a Bangalore lab, it has been proved that anti-national slogans were raised at the event.
ABVP Central Working Committee member Saurav Sharma told India News Stream
that his organisation would press for harsher punishment to Khalid and others.
Sharma, who was joint secretary of the JNUSU when the Afzal Guru event took place, said they would always fight against such elements. The mind-set they were creating was not good for the country. he added.
Khalid, Kanhaiya and another student leader Anirban Bhattacharya, all belonging to a left organisation, are currently on bail in a sedition
case slapped again them in the wake of the February 9, 2016 event organised on the third anniversary of the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
Eight months ago, the High Court had set aside the punishment awarded to the JNU students by their university administration in connection with the Afzal guru event.