Footage of Ramjas college violence looks ‘doctored’, says Delhi police

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Thursday told a court that it was examining students and teachers to identify the culprits involved in the Ramjas College clashes that broke out between ABVP and Left-affiliated AISA in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised in February this year.

The police, in its nine-page action taken report (ATR) said that the video clips submitted by various unknown social network and media websites and “apparently looks doctored” and will resend them for forensic examination.

“Hence, in order to establish the same, requests have been sent to different electronic media sources to provide un-edited/raw footage of the incident.

“There is no authentic source of the media content and it appears that it has been made from antecedent events such as previous speeches of Umar Khalid,” the report said, referring to the student who was allegedly involved in raising anti- national slogans in the JNU.

It added that the footage is being analysed and would be sent to forensic lab for scrutiny.

“Efforts are being made to identify the persons indulging in the protests as the video footage, even if assumed to be not doctored or falsified, does not reveal the true and accurate identity of all the culprits involved. Sincere efforts are being undertaken to identify the culprits and fasten the culpability on the same,” the report said.

The agency said it has also made a request to the students and the general public to give statements and provide any evidence available with them i.e. video/ audio recording to correctly identify the unknown accused persons.

It said the police officials who were deployed on the arrangement duties, on the day of incidents, are also being thoroughly examined and four police officers have already been suspended and departmental action is contemplated.

The report said the inquiry committee, which has been probing complaints relating to the incidents of February 21-22 this year, has so far recorded statements of 62 witnesses, including students and police officials.

“It is, therefore, submitted that the present case is being investigated keeping in view the incidents of February 21 and 22, this year and any allegation as made by the complainant will be investigated on merit,” it said.

The court had earlier pulled up the police for not filing ATR despite beig given several opportunities.

On July 1, the chief metropolitan magistrate had dismissed a plea filed by the police seeking transfer of the complaint to another court after the investigating officer failed to appear before it.

The complaint, which had said that a similar incident had taken place in the JNU last year, sought lodging of an FIR for alleged offences of sedition, criminal conspiracy, waging war against the State and defamation under the IPC.

It alleged that “anti-national slogans/activities were being carried out by leaders/students of AISA/SFI in Ramjas College, shamelessly and openly which supported India’s enemy Pakistan. The criminal acts of accused were also boosting the morale of terrorists against our country.”

It claimed that the organisers of a seminar had misled the college administration to obtain its nod for the event and “conducted activities against the nation and tried to wage a war against the country”.

On February 21, members of RSS’ student wing ABVP had gathered outside the college and shouted slogans in protest against the seminar for which JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid were invited.

The ABVP members allegedly pelted stones, vandalised the venue and disrupted the seminar.

The next day violent clashes erupted between the Left and the ABVP students leaving several of them and three teachers injured.

With agencies input