NEWDELHI/Nagpur: Yashpal Singh, one of the lawyers who was caught on camera attacking teachers, students and journalists at the court hearing in the JNU case in Delhi last week, was arrested and released by the police on bail on Tuesday.
Mr Singh’s arrest and prompt release came after a sting operation aired by India Today news channel yesterday, in which three lawyers including Mr Singh were heard bragging that they thrashed Jawaharlal Nehru University or JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar for three hours while he was in police custody.
A senior Delhi Police official said Mr Singh was arrested in connection with two cases of assault when he presented himself to the investigators at Tilak Marg police station responding to summons.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition that seeks action based on the TV sting that purportedly features the Mr Singh and lawyers Vikram Chauhan and Om Sharma – who were the most prominent of the lawyers involved in the assault on JNU students, teachers and journalists on February 15 and 17.
A lawyer, centre, who spoke to the media supporting student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, is beaten up by other lawyers on Feb 17. (AP photo)
In the sting video, Yashpal Singh was heard declaring that he would refuse bail in court just so that he could go to jail and beat up Kanhaiya Kumar again. The lawyers also appeared to claim that the police told them that “had it not been for their uniform, they would have joined us.”
The lawyers have said they had attacked the students, teachers and journalists to protest activities at JNU where “anti-India” slogans were allegedly raised leading to the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar and police cases against several others.
The police had issued notices to the three lawyers after the court attacks. While Om Sharma was arrested on Saturday and subsequently also released on bail, Mr Chauhan, who led two brazen attacks, is yet to respond to multiple notices issued by the police asking him to join probe.
