New Delhi

JNU students and radical left wing cadre Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were today sent to three days’ police remand by a city court, after their midnight surrender and subsequent arrest in a case of sedition.

The South Campus Police Station near JNU where they are being kept, was turned into a makeshift court room following a order by the Delhi High Court to “maintain confidentiality” during their remand proceedings.

“Umar and Anirban have been sent to three days’ custody,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Prem Nath told reporters tonight.

During the hearing, the police demanded seven days’ custody of the duo, who had organised a controversial event at the JNU on February 9 where anti-India slogans were raised.

Police has also applied for production of JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, also arrested on sedition charges, so that all the three students can be interrogated together.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court ordered to “maintain confidentiality” during the remand proceedings of Kumar, Umar and Anirban and directed the police to ensure that no one “suffers even a scratch” and there is no ruckus this time.

Lawyers had allegedly assaulted Kumar when he was brought to Patiala House Court for remand proceedings.

The court order came during the hearing on Kumar’s bail plea after it was informed that the student leader and two arrested co-accused – Umar and Anirban – were apprehending threat to their safety and security during production before Patiala House courts for remand proceedings. .

“We are presently investigating the case on the basis of one raw video. There is no multiple video footage. Not just the journalists everyone else who were in their contact were questioned,” Prem Nath said.

Umar and Anirban, who had surrendered before the police midnight last night, were arrested in the wee hours today after being questioned for five hours.

“Before being arrested they were questioned for at least five hours in which the police enquired about their whereabouts and hideouts during the phase when police was looking out for them in connection with the sedition case which led to arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar,” a senior police official said.

The police also enquired whether two of them were the main organisers of the February 9 event against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, and whether they were involved in anti-India sloganeering which allegedly took place.

The duo had returned to the JNU campus last Sunday after going missing since February 12.

Besides Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya, the other students are Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Anant Prakash.

Delhi Police had issued a look-out notice on February 20 against Khalid, Bhattacharya, Naga, Ashutosh and Prakash.

In its order, the high court also directed the Registrar General to depute a Metropolitan Magistrate for the purpose of conducting remand proceedings and asked DCP (South) Prem Nath, who was present inside the courtroom during the hearing, to co-ordinate with the Registrar General for this.

The bench said Kanhaiya’s counsel has apprehended serious threat to his client’s life during production before the court for remand proceedings and for this reason, his bail plea was transmitted to the High Court by the Supreme Court.

The court heard brief arguments on Kanhaiya’s bail plea and posted it for further hearing on February 29 as Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta said that in view of the arrest of Khalid and Bhattacharya, the police would file an application seeking his further police custody.

The court also heard separate petitions filed by Khalid and Bhattacharya, in which they had sought security before they surrender to police, and their advocates told the bench that since their clients have surrendered so the prayer “does not survive”.

PTI