NEW DELHI: The

filed a chargesheet on Monday against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president

and others in a

lodged in 2016.

The police have also charged former JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans during an event on the university campus on February 9, 2016 to commemorate the hanging of Parliament attack mastermind Afzal Guru.

The others charged in the case are Kashmiri students Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rassol, Bashir Bhat and Basharat.

As many as 36 others, including Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja's daughter Aprajita, Shehla Rashid (then vice-president of the JNUSU), Rama Naga, Ashutosh Kumar and Banojyotsna Lahiri have been named in column 12 of the chargesheet due to insufficient evidence against them, police sources said.

Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Anand put up the chargesheet for consideration before a competent court on Tuesday.

The accused have been charged with offences under sections 124A (sedition), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 465 (punishment for forgery), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 143 (punishment for being a member of an unlawful assembly), 149 (being a member of an unlawful assembly), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The chargesheet also contains CCTV footage, mobile footage and documentary evidence.

The police have alleged that Kanhaiya Kumar had incited the mob to shout anti-India slogans.

A case was registered on February 11, 2016 under Sections of 124 A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj (North) police station following complaints by BJP MP Maheish Girri and the ABVP.

Case 'politically motivated': Kanhaiya Kumar

Reacting to the development, Kanhaiya termed the case as "politically motivated" and questioned the timing of the chargesheet, which comes ahead of the parliamentary election.

"The chargesheet is politically motivated. However, we want the charges to be framed and a speedy trial in the case so that the truth comes out. We also want to see the videos that have been placed on record as evidence by the police," Kumar told PTI.

Meanwhile, Khalid rejected the allegations and said the alleged incident was an attempt to divert the attention of the people.

"The move to file the chargesheet three years after the alleged incident is an attempt to divert the attention (of the people) right before (parliamentary) elections. We will fight it out in court," Khalid, who was addressing a student gathering in Bengaluru, said.

Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) leader Shehla Rashid, who had led the campaign for the release of Kumar and other students, said, "This is a completely bogus case in which ultimately everyone will be acquitted. The timing of the chargesheet right before the elections just reflects how the BJP wants to reap electoral benefits out of this. I was not even on campus on the day of the event."

CPI Leader D Raja said, "It is politically motivated. After three years Delhi police is filing the chargesheet in the case. We will fight it legally in court and politically outside court."

The February 9 event happened despite the varsity administration having cancelled the permission following a complaint by the ABVP, who had termed it as "anti-national".