Kanhaiya's allegation on strangulation incident untrue: Mumbai police

Mumbai: The Mumbai police on Sunday dismissed JNU Students’ Union Leader Kanhaiya Kumar’s allegation that a co-passenger tried to strangle him in a Jet Airways flight.

Emphasising that Kumar did not lodge a police complaint despite repeated requests from the senior inspector, Joint Commissioner Deven Bharti told the media that “Whatever has been alleged by his (Kanhaiya Kumar) friend, in our inquiry we've found it not to be true.”

Student leader Kanhaiya Kumar had earlier on Sunday alleged a co-passenger of trying to strangle him onboard a flight to Pune.

Read: Kanhaiya Kumar faces shoe attack in Hyderabad

The man identified as Manas Jyoti Deka has been detained in connection with the incident, and a non-cognisable offence has been filed against the 33-year-old TCS employee on the basis of Kumar’s allegation.

Speaking to reporters at Mumbai, Deka said that the allegation was yet another publicity stunt by Kumar.

“My hand just happened to brush his neck as I was trying to balance myself on an aching leg. I do not know him personally though I have seen his pictures. This is being done for cheap publicity,” reports quoted Manas as saying.

Read: Man detained for trying to strangulate JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar

Following the incident, Kanhaiya was offloaded by the airline citing safety, forcing him to take the road route to Pune. Kumar is off to Pune for a rally along with three other colleagues from JNU.

Deka’s to attack Kanhaiya was evaded by his colleagues who were on the same flight, according to All India Students' Federation national president Syed Waliullah Kadri.

"Kanhaiya, I and two others from JNU had boarded the flight from Mumbai. This man suddenly got up and tried to attack Kanhaiya," Kadri claimed.

Following the incident, Maharashtra Minister of State accused Kanhaiya of attempting to malign the image of the BJP- lead state government.

“He had been provided full security by the state government till the time he boarded the aircraft. Nobody can be given security once inside the plane. I, too, do not get security while I am flying,” Shinde told PTI.

“Kanhaiya Kumar was travelling with three other persons. He had been allotted a window seat and thus, while crossing over a passenger who was seated in the middle, he got into a fight with him. The other passenger did not even know this man was Kanhaiya Kumar and he, too, is alleging he was beaten up by the student leader,” Shinde said.

Shinde said that he has asked Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident and bring out the facts.

Previously, Kanhaiya was also attacked at an event, commemorating BR Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary, in Hyderabad, where an activist had hurled shoe at him. On the same day, his car was attacked by some men reportedly belonging to Bajrang Dal when he arrived in the city.

Kumar was arrested on February 9 on charges of sedition for organizing a pro-Afzal Guru event on JNU campus. The event was organised to deliberate over the issue of capital punishment.

His arrest kicked off a furore across the nation, with varied views on nationalism pouring in from different sections of the society. The intelligentsia along with the students of varied university collectively protested the government's take on the issue.