 "Arrested JNU Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was attacked by lawyers at Patiala House court on Wednesday. Photo: ANI")
"The mob that beat me up at the Patiala House Court seemed to be highly politically motivated as they were well prepared for the attack," Jawaharlal Nehru (JNU) Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar said in a video.
Kanhaiya Kumar and a few journalists were assaulted at the Patiala House Courts complex on February 15 and 17.
Recalling the attack on him, he said in a video broadcast by CNN-IBN news channel that one of the attackers also entered the corridor of the court where the hearing was scheduled to be held.
The Delhi Police did not take any action while the attackers escaped, he said in the video which CNN-IBN said is footage of Kanhaiya Kumar testifying before a Supreme Court-appointed panel investigating the Patiala House Court violence.
Kanhaiya Kumar said the lawyers' mob was prepared for the attack as when they saw him at the entrance of Patiala House courts complex, he heard them calling other people saying that Kanhaiya had arrived.
The lawyers started attacking me while raising slogans, he added.
"I think they (attackers) are highly political motivated."
Kanhaiya Kumar told the panel that the mob also attacked the police officials who escorted him.
"Main is desh ka naujawan hoon. Main JNU mein PhD kar raha hoon. Log keh rahe hain ki main desh-drohi hoon. Kuchch media mera trial kar rahi hai (I am a youth of this country. I am doing my PhD in JNU. People are calling me a traitor. A section of the media has put me on trial)," said Kanhaiya Kumar.
"But I told the judge that I have full faith in the Constitution," he added.
Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on February 12 on the charge of sedition. Later the police also detained two more JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya. More students have either been named as suspects or questioned.
The police action came after some students of JNU organised on February 9 an event in support of Afzal Guru, who was a convict in the December 2001 terror attack on parliament and was executed in 2013.
Kanhaiya Kumar and other students have been charged with raising anti-India slogans.
"The lawyers kept beating me right from the front gate till the court room. One of the attackers managed to enter the corridor of the court with me. He was also present in the room adjoining the court room, where proceedings were scheduled to be held," said Kanhaiya Kumar.
"I informed the Delhi Police present in the court that he is the person who attacked me. The attacker was not even dressed in lawyer's uniform. Delhi police didn't even try to arrest him and the attacker fled from the spot. I was disrobed during the attack and also lost my footwear," he added.
The panel appointed by the Supreme Court asked Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal how did the police fail to provide security to Kanhaiya Kumar and allowed the attacker inside the corridor of the court.
Narwal replied that he immediately rushed to the spot but could not recognize the attacker as he entered with the south Delhi police team escorting Kanhaiya Kumar.
An official of South Delhi police told panel members that the man who entered with Kanhaiya Kumar inside the corridor claimed to be his lawyer.
