Kejriwal orders probe into JNU-Afzal Guru row, says guilty should be punished

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered magisterial probe on Saturday evening into the ongoing row over Afzal Guru event at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

He said, "There are claims that JNU student leaders shouted anti-India slogans and counter claims that ABVP activists did it. To find truth, Delhi government is directing District Magistrate to conduct an enquiry."

"No anti-national activity should be tolerated under any circumstances. Those who did it must be identified and punished," he added.

Earlier, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury met Kejriwal and demanded an independent magisterial enquiry into the Afzal Guru row.

Soon after meeting the Chief Minister, Yechury had said, "The controversy over Afzal Guru event in JNU need to investigated. We met the Delhi CM and requested him for order an independent magisterial enquiry in to the matter."

On the context of JNU student's union president Kanhaiya Kumar's arrest on the charges of sedition, he said, "The central government's evidence supporting his involvement in anti-India activity can only be established through an independent enquiry. Therefore we have requested the Delhi CM to order an immediate magisterial enquiry."

Earlier, in the day a delegation of Left parties met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked him to release Kanhaiya Kumar. Kumar's arrest evoked strong reactions from JNU students, teachers and the opposition parties.

Yechury, who led the Left leaders to the Singh, said that the actions taken by the police in JNU were even worse than what happened during the emergency.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the JNU cannot be allowed to be a hub of anti-national activities. "Reasonable restriction has to be there, while expressing freedom," he said.

The Delhi Police today detained seven more students from the university. Delhi Commissioner of Police BS Bassi said, "Allegations of Police personnel entering girls' hostels of JNU are totally incorrect, malicious and mischievous."

The alleged anti-India slogans were raised during an event on the campus on last Tuesday against Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging. Since then the issue became political after all opposition party leaders condemned the raid of Delhi police at JNU.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi along with Ajay Maken and Anand Sharma reached JNU in the evening and greeted with black flags by the ABVP leaders.