India

Kanhaiya Kumar disassociates himself from Umar Khalid, faces criticism

A file photo of Kanhaiya Kumar.

New Delhi: Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar recently distanced himself from Umar Khalid and can be seen dodging questions about the incarcerated activist.

However, the disassociation has resulted in Kumar facing widespread criticism on social media after a video of the same went viral.

In the video, Kanhaiya Kumar could be seen dissociating himself from Umar Khalid, who’s been languishing in jail for more than a year after the government of India slapped sedition charges against him.

Both Kanhaiya and Umar were arrested under sedition charges during their time as students in the JNU.

As a reporter was seen asking, “Umar Khalid has been your friend.” to which Kanhaiya replied, “Who told you so?”

When the reporter asked him about his past JNU association, Kumar asked for video proof.

Pertinently, Umar Khalid and Kanhaiya Kumar were at the forefront of the protests that had rocked the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 2016 over the death of Dalit student Rohith Vemula.

Both were also slapped with sedition in a case in which the Delhi Police claimed that the two raised ‘anti-India’ slogans during the protest.

Jamia student Meeran Haider was arrested and charged with sedition in December 2019 amid the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). He was also the head of the Delhi youth wing of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

 

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