JNU row: All about DU lecturer SAR Geelani and JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar

New Delhi: What is the main similarity between Kanhaiya Kumar and former Delhi University lecturer SAR Geelani? Both, not-so-famous men were booked by Delhi Police and have been slapped with sedition charges for carrying out anti-India activities. They have also been accused of disturbing the systematic peace in the country.

We bring to you five exclusive revelations about Kanhaiya Kumar.

• Kanhaiya Kumar is a third year PhD scholar, had lost the Councillor seat twice earlier. It was in last year, when Kanhaiya dramatically won the student union poll and became the JNUSU president.
   
• Kanhaiya hails from a village in Begusarai, which is popularly known as 'Leningrad of Bihar' or 'Little Moscow'.
   
• His father, Jaishankar Singh, has been confined to bed since 2013 after his left side of body was hit by paralysis attack; his mother Meena Devi is an Anganwadi worker and earns Rs 3,500 a month. Kanhaiya's elder brother and mother are the bread-winners of the family.
   
• Kanhaiya Kumar did his early schooling from a government school in Bihat and later enrolled himself in a school in Barauni for higher secondary education.
   
• He was also associated with AISF for a long time. The national secretary of AISF was quoted as saying by DNA that Kumar was good at debates, even in college and had a soft corner for the poor and downtrodden of the country.

SAR Geelani was arrested by the Delhi Police on Tuesday morning and has been accused of organising the anti-India event at JNU on February 9. Here are five things to know about him.

• Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani was once a lecturer and used to teach Arabic at a Delhi University college.
   
• Geelani was arrested in connection with attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001. Three of the accused, including Geelani, were granted death penalty by the court.
   
• Though Geelani was later acquitted by the court due to lack of enough evidence against him, the Supreme Court in 2005 had observed that the needle of suspicion pointed towards him.
   
• Geelani hails originally from Kashmir and is known to be vocal about his support for Azad (independent) Kashmir.
   
• Geelani, on several occasions, had expressed his displeasure against the conviction and hanging of Afzal Guru and has also held several protests and events in the past.