Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid not out of sedition controversy, hints Police chief

The Delhi Police will soon file a charge sheet in the sedition case against former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and other activists, including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik said Wednesday. Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya were arrested in 2016 in a sedition case for allegedly organising an event in Jawaharlal Nehru University campus against the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru.

The arrests had triggered a huge controversy with the opposition slamming the police for "working at the behest of the ruling BJP". "The case is in the stage of finalisation. The investigation was complex as the team also had to visit other states for taking statements. The charge sheet will be filed soon," Patnaik said. The controversial event at the JNU had sparked outrage after allegations were made that anti-national slogans were raised. The arrest of Kumar catapulted him to national fame and resulted in protests across the country.

(With inputs from agencies.)