Action against Kanhaiya Kumar, others after replies to show cause

New Delhi: The JNU authorities on Tuesday said a decision on what action should be taken against Kanhaiya Kumar and other students will depend on their replies to the show cause notices issued to them, a day after a high-level panel recommended their rustication over the controversial February 9 event.

A high-level committee appointed by the university to probe the event organised to protest the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and JKLF leader Maqbool Bhat, besides other related issues had on Monday recommended expulsion of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya, PhD scholars Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, and two others.

Based on the findings of the panel, the varsity has issued show cause notices to 21 students including Kanhaiya, who is out on bail, as well as Umar and Anirban, currently in judicial custody on sedition charges.

When asked about the recommendation by the committee to expel him and four other students, Kanhaiya said, "I did receive a show cause notice but there was nothing about rustication in it."

The students who have been served the show cause notices said they will hold a meeting tonight to decide whether to respond to them or not.

ABVP leader Saurabh Sharma, who is joint secretary of JNUSU, has also been served a show cause notice. Sharma was alleged to have stopped some buses during the controversial event in violation of traffic rules.

"What should I reply to? There are no charges mentioned. It just says I have been found guilty but for what," said Anant, a former JNUSU Vice President.

Meanwhile, a section of JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) has asked the varsity administration to make the report of the probe committee public.

"Not making the report public is the first indication of the enquiry not being transparent. Rather than letting people speculate, they should disclose the recommendations of the enquiry committee," JNUTA General Secretary Bikramaditya Chaudhury said.

The committee was formed on February 10 to probe the event.

Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban were arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the programme. Kanhaiya was released on bail from Tihar Jail on March 3.

The university had on March 11 revoked the academic suspension of eight students including Kanhaiya after completion of the probe by the five-member panel. It was decided to keep them under suspension from academic activities till the inquiry was over. However, they were allowed to stay in the hostels.

The panel, which was granted three extensions before it finally submitted its report, also faced difficulties in the probe as students refused to depose before it demanding that the enquiry be constituted afresh.

The varsity, however, turned down the demand and maintained that the students will be given three chances to appear before the disciplinary committee and, if they fail to do so, the panel will finalise its recommendations on the basis of evidence available.

The committee faced a series of hiccups since its constitution. While the varsity's proctorial committee was first given the task to probe the issue, a day later it was replaced by a high-level committee.

The committee initially had three members, but under pressure from teachers and students for broad basing it, the university had added two more members to the panel.