Massive protests paralysed one of India’s top universities Monday after the president of the student union was arrested on charges of sedition.
Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested Friday, days after a demonstration was held at Jawaharlal Nehru University to mark the anniversary of the 2013 execution of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri man convicted of an attack on India’s Parliament.
Kumar, a left-leaning student leader, was arrested amid allegations that anti-India slogans were used at that protest.
On Monday, several student groups called for a strike on campus and very few students attended classes. Over the weekend thousands of students and teachers from several universities and colleges across India held protest rallies at the university.
The arrest came after a student faction linked to the ruling rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party filed a police complaint against the campus event.
On Thursday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted that “If anyone shouts anti India slogan & challenges nation’s sovereignty & integrity while living in India, they will not be tolerated or spared.”
A day later, Delhi police, who are under Singh, entered the university and searched dorm rooms and demanded audio and video recordings of the pro-Guru demonstration, and arrested Kumar. He has denied making any anti-India comments, according to news reports.