Hours after his release from Tihar jail in a sedition case, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khaled addressed a cheering crowd of his fellow students on Friday night.
According to the court order, the charges of sedition on the two arrested students Umar Khaled and Anirban Bhattacharya, have been called off.
Also read: The Fight Will Not Die Down: Umar Khaled As He Returns to JNU
Khaled, however, said that he was proud to have been charged with the law under which freedom fighters of India were booked.
Earlier on Frifay, actor Anupam Kher who was on campus for the screening of his film Buddha in a Traffic Jam was critical of JNU students who were supportive of Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khaled and Anirban Bhattacharya.
In a 35-minute speech, Umar directly attacked the government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
He sarcastically added that only people like (Pravin) Togadia and Yogi Adityanath are the only people who have all the freedom of expression.
Umar claimed that he was being labelled a terrorist because of Islam, which, he said, he did not practice.
Khaled’s 6-year-old sister Sara also joined the celebrations,
Khaled and Bhattacharya were arrested on charges of sedition for their involvement in a controversial event organised to protest hanging of Afzal Guru, the 2001 Parliament attack convict.
Kanhaiya, who was also arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the 9 February event at the JNU, was granted bail earlier in March.
(With PTI inputs)
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