JNU students held Afzal Guru commemorative meeting at the Press Club of India

Days after the outrage over a group of left-leaning students in Jawaharlal Nehru University organising a meet to mourn the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and JKLF cofounder Maqbool Bhat, another commemorative meeting was held at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Wednesday where anti-India slogans were raised.

The club reacted sharply as it came under attack for the event. It issued a showcause notice, a copy of which is with Mail Today, to the member in whose name the venue had been booked. SAR Geelani, the Delhi University professor who had been acquitted in the Parliament attack case, was present at the event. Geelani has been a longtime supporter of Kashmir’s secessionist movement and had even organised prayer meeting for Afzal after his death. Club functionaries told Mail Today that the firstfloor club hall where the meeting took place had been booked by a member, Ali Javed, who had not clearly specified the purpose and had misled the club.

As the club, a favourite hangout of Delhi journalists, came under attack after the police was informed about the entire incident, functionaries took prompt action in the matter and distanced themselves from the controversy.

“It was not a Press Club event. A member had booked the hall but we did not know the real purpose. The moment we heard shouting and sloganeering, we stopped the event. We have also initiated action against the concerned member. The club has sent a showcause notice to the member and have asked him to explain his conduct within 48 hours,” said PCI president Rahul Jalali.

The notice, issued by secretary general of the club Nadeem Ahmad Kazmi to Javed, member number 5141, reads: “You (reference) had booked our hall ostensibly to hold a conference, but the occasion was converted into a rowdy meeting that has seriously damaged the reputation of the Press Club with the intention of damaging the interests of the institution.”

When contacted, Javed said: “I have not yet received the letter.”

According to Jalali, a condolence meet was underway on the ground floor of the club when the sloganeering erupted. Even the workers at the club claimed they were taken aback after they heard the slogans and claps. They initially thought some birthday party was underway. Arun Kumar Joshi, treasurer of the club, told MAIL TODAY that the incident has forced the club to mull amending the procedure for booking any portion of the club by members. “We will now make it mandatory for members to clearly state the purpose for bookings. When I went upstairs to stop the programme, I saw Geelani. It was appaling to see people jostling to click selfies against a poster that had photos of terrorists. We condemn the action,” said Joshi.

Meanwhile, as the JNU administration ordered a disciplinary inquiry into the student protest, the Hurriyat Conference on Thursday criticised the move saying the students have neither committed any act of violence nor indulged in any illegal activity. “They have raised slogans against hanging of Mohammad Afzal Guru and in support of Kashmir’s freedom during a peaceful protest. Why is India, which claims herself as the largest democracy in the world, perturbed with such a small event?” hardline Hurriyat Conference spokesman Ayaz Akbar asked.