Activist and former student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Umar Khalid on Tuesday, January 15 said that he and others who have been chargesheeted for sedition are ready to face trial, and asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi ready to face a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in Rafale Scam.
Dear Narendra Modi,
Hearing about the chargesheet being filed, I have only one thing to say – we are ready to face trial in court of law to prove our innocence.
But are you ready to face a JPC on Rafale scam, or at least face a press conference once?
The Nation Wants To Know!
— Umar Khalid (@UmarKhalidJNU) January 14, 2019
Along With Khalid, Delhi Police also charged Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya – for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during an event organised on JNU campus on February 9, 2016.
Addressing the prime minister, Khalid wrote on twitter that they are prepared to prove their innocence in the court, “But are you (PM Modi) ready to face a JPC on Rafale scam, or at least face a press conference once?”
As many as 36 others, including Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja’s daughter Aprajita, Shehla Rashid (then vice-president of the JNUSU), Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Banojyotsna Lahiri have been named in column 12 of the charge sheet due to insufficient evidence against them, police sources said.
Former JNUSU leader Shehla Rashid, who had led the campaign for Kumar’s release and other students, said, “This is a completely bogus case in which ultimately everyone will be acquitted. The timing of charge sheet right before the polls just reflects how BJP wants to reap electoral benefits out of this, especially after their defeat in the state polls recently. I was not even on campus on the day of the event.”
Opposition parties and have been demanding a JPC probe in the alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal. However, the PM Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre has denied the requests.
(With PTI inputs)
Also Read: P Chidambaram Says Sedition Charges Against Kanhaiya Kumar and Others Absurd