JNU row: Umar, Anirban questioned for 5 hours, to be produced before magistrate

New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya - facing sedition charges - were questioned for over five hours at the South Campus Police Station. Sources said that both the students might be questioned on Wednesday again.

According to the sources, the duo will be produced before a magistrate on Wednesday morning. Police are also probing if the JNU professors were involved in harbouring these students who had disappeared and then suddenly resurfaced in the campus, the sources added.

Senior lawyer Kamini Jaiswal said, "We will produce the duo before the appropriate magistrate. The police will have to assure no harm comes to them wherever they are produced. It is now their call as to how the procedure is followed and take care of their security. Once the person is in their custody, it is their duty no harm comes to them."

The drama unfolded at 11:56 PM on Tuesday when the duo surrendered before police and were escorted by security personnel to an undisclosed location. At 12:03 AM, they were taken to Vasant Kunj Police Station and at 12:26 AM both Khalid and Anirban were arrested and taken to South Campus Police Station.

The students surrendered hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant them protection from arrest.

At 1:08 AM, the interrogation began and ended at 5:04 AM. At 4:04 AM, three AIIMS doctors arrived at the police station for medical check-up of the duo and left at 4:43 AM.

Khalid and Bhattacharya are among the five students who, along with JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, had allegedly shouted anti-national slogans at an event organised in the university campus to mark the death anniversary of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on February 9.

Besides Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya, other students Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Anant Prakash are also for sedition. Sources said that the other three students might also surrender soon.

Delhi Police had issued a look-out notice on February 20 against Khalid, Bhattacharya, Naga, Ashutosh and Prakash.