A high-level inquiry committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru University said in a report released on Wednesday that a group of masked outsiders raised provocative slogans, including “Bharat ko ragda do, ragda (India should be crushed)” and “Pakistan zindabad” at the controversial event organised at the varsity on February 9. While the report, submitted by the five-member committee, said that witnesses confirmed the slogan “Bharat ki barbadi tak jung rahegi (The fight will continue till India is ruined)” was raised, there is no video evidence of the same from the event organised in protest against the hanging of Parliament-attack convict Afzal Guru.

The report also deemed it "unfortunate" that students had allowed outsiders to be present and raise provocative slogans, reported PTI. "This act by outsiders has brought disrepute to the entire JNU community," it added. The panel said that JNU Students’ Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, who was charged with sedition, had reached the venue late, but had opposed the university’s decision to revoke permission for the event. It also said that student Umar Khalid – identified as one of the main organisers of the event, who was also arrested for sedition – had defied authorities and told them that the “security can do whatever they want”.

Earlier, the university issued show-cause notices to 21 students that the panel had found guilty of violating norms during the event. It had also recommended rusticating all these students, including Kumar, Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who was also arrested for sedition. While the findings of the report have been shared with the 21 students, the recommendations made by the committee have not been disclosed.