By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: The report prepared by a team of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) after visiting Tihar jail has come down heavily on Delhi police said that attack on Kanhaiya Kumar, JNUSU President inside Patiala House Court premises was “pre-planned”.
It further alleged that police did not do anything to prevent the assault or apprehend the attackers even though they were identified by Kumar.
However, the report that was released by NHRC on Friday said that adequate arrangements have been made by prison to ensure safety of Kumar and round the clock security is provided to him at Tihar prison where he is lodged in a separate cell.
NHRC team comprising C K Chaturvedi, registrar (law) and S K Jain, senior superintendent of police (investigation) on Thursday visited Delhi’s central prison after directions from acting chairman of NHRC to inquire into security of Kumar and treatment meted out to him by prison officials. It was also tasked to verify if the statement released by Delhi police on behalf of Kumar were voluntary.
The report also said Kumar was subjected to “psychological pressure” and was made to issue a statement which was dictated by the police.
“… He was subjected to psychological pressure during interrogation. The statement, which was issued by police as an appeal on behalf of Kanhaiya Kumar, was not written by him voluntarily. The content, construction and framework of the statement were as dictated by the police,” the report reads.
On the Patiala House Court incident, the NHRC report said that the attack on Kumar “appears to be organised and pre-planned”.
“The physical assault on Kumar in the court premises appears to be organized and pre- planned”, the report alleged.
“Kumar was abused and physically assaulted by some persons dressed as advocates in the Patiala House court premises on February 17. He was even physically assaulted inside the adjoining court room in the presence of police who did not do anything to prevent the assault or apprehend the attackers even though they were identified by Kumar then and there. ,” it added.
NHRC team also alleged that there was serious dereliction of duty on the part of the police. “What happened in the Patiala House Court Complex on February 17 was a major security lapse on the part of the police”, the report reads.
NHRC report further said, “Going by the sequence of events, the safety and security of Kanhaiya and his family members is a serious cause of concern”.
The report has been forwarded to the Delhi police commissioner and the director general of prisons, Tihar Jail, and directed them to submit their replies by February 26.
The commission has earlier issued notices to the Home Secretary, Govt. of India, Chief Secretary, NCT of Delhi, Commissioner of Police, Delhi and the Registrar, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
These notices were issued after taking suo motu cognizance of the newspaper report published in The Hindu newspaper on February 13, 2016 captioned as “Govt. acts tough, JNU student leader charged with sedition”. It was reported by the newspaper that the President of JNUSU was arrested on the charges of sedition after allegedly raising anti-India slogans.