New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who were released from jail after being granted an interim bail by a Delhi Court, arrived at the varsity campus on Friday amid rousing welcome.
Both Khalid and Anirban were slapped with charges of sedition for holding pro-Afzal Guru event at the university campus on February 9 and shouting alleged anti-national slogans.
Read: Delhi court grants interim bail to JNU students Umar, Anirban
Students across the campus celebrated the duo’s release after a month long imprisonment. Slogans of 'Aazadi' reverberated across the varsity's sprawling campus.
The Patiala House Court, which had reserved its order on their bail pleas on Wednesday, asked the duo to furnish a bail bond of Rs 25,000 each.
The Court further directed the JNU students to not leave Delhi without its permission during the period of interim bail. Further, it also directed them to make themselves available before the Investigating Officer when required for the purpose of investigation.
Read: Criticism of govt not sedition, says counsel of Umar, Anirban
The energy across the campus got further catapulted to a notch higher when Khalid gave a power packed speech before the varsity students. Being irked at the Central Government’s dictatorial attitude, he said that the Centre is on a persistent witch-hunt to muzzle dissent.
Further, he added that the story doesn’t end here; their release is just the beginning of a war.
“The Government and the RSS thought they could break us. But such colonial charges pressed against us won’t deter us from carrying forward our agenda. I have no shame to say that JNU selflessly raises the plight of farmers, labourers, adivasis, Muslims, Dalits,” he reiterated.
Read: Fresh poster issues death threat to Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid
Criticizing the way he was branded a terrorist just because of his religious faith, Khalid said, "I did not project myself as a practicing Muslim, but I was treated like an Islamist terrorist."
Censuring the present day government's anti-labour, anti-poor and anti-dalit stances, he said that it wouldn’t be able to breed its selfish agenda for a long time as masses are rising against its dictatorial policies.
Earlier, a high-level internal committee of the JNU had found 21 students guilty of holding a controversial event on the campus last month, which had led to the custody of JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others.
Read: JNU students Umar Khalid, Anirban surrender before Delhi police
The committee has reportedly suggested that Kanhaiya, along with four other students, be rusticated from the varsity.
The committee, in its unanimous report submitted to Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar, has accused the students of violating university norms and rules by organising an event in the memory of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.
