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How Umar Khalid became the face of the JNU protest

By Vicky
|
Google Oneindia News

The speech that Umar Khalid made at the JNU after he resurfaced on the campus three days ago made his Left leanings extremely clear. He referred to his fellow students as Comrades and said that students at the JNU have learnt how to question and nothing can change that.

Khalid who now is in police custody on allegations that he had organised the pro-Afzal Guru event at the JNU is being questioned by the Delhi police. His family wants to draw a line of distinction between the debate of anti national and left leaning.

How Umar became the face of JNU row

Khalid just before he surrendered had said that he was never inclined towards politics. I had ambitions of becoming a astronaut or a cricketer. However once I joined the JNU and took a class on Vladimir Lenin that his thought process changed. I questioned everything after that, he also informed prior to his surrender.

Face of the JNU protest

Today like Kanaihya Kumar, Khalid too has become the face of the JNU protest. As he left the campus to surrender before the Delhi police there were chants in the background- "he will return." Today it is a delicate situation that the Delhi police is facing.

The probe against Khalid will have to be on the right track and if the police is found lacking it could snow ball into a major controversy.

The Delhi police however say that they have enough evidence to file sedition charges. The opinion about Khalid is a divided one. His supporters and friends say that he is not an anti national.

However the heat on Khalid went up due to the Afzal Guru protest. He is alleged to have told the police that he organised the event since he felt strongly about it (Afzal Guru issue close to my heart, says Umar Khalid).

His father Dr SQR Ilyas a spokesperson of the All India Muslim Law Personal Board and an executive member of the Jamaat-e-Islami says that his son cannot be branded as an anti national.

He tells OneIndia that questioning the system is not anti national. My grandfather was a freedom fighter and a Communist, Dr Ilyas tells OneIndia. I feel that my son gets this from the fact that we are a family of communists.

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