New Delhi: In a major setback for Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and two others, a high-level internal committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday recommended their rustication for their alleged role in a controversial event last month at which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

The probe panel has also found 21 other students guilty of holding the controversial event in the memory of Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru event.

According to Zee Media, however, a final decision on the recommendation by the panel will be taken by Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and Chief Proctor A Dimri after a thorough scrutiny of the suggestions.

The committee, in its unanimous report submitted to Kumar today, has accused the students of violating university norms and rules by organising such an event inside the university.

The Office of JNU's Chief Proctor would take further action by issuing show cause notices to the concerned students including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya.Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya.

A meeting of the university's top brass chaired by the Vice Chancellor today discussed the report following which the varsity issued show-cause notice to 21 students including Kanhaiya and Umar, who were found guilty of having violated university rules and discipline norms.

The panel, which was granted three extensions before it finally submitted its report, also faced difficulties in the probe as students refused to depose before it demanding that the enquiry be constituted afresh.

The varsity, however, turned down the demand and maintained that the students will be given three chances to appear before the disciplinary committee and, if they fail to do so, the committee will finalise its recommendations on the basis of evidence available, eyewitness accounts, students' deposition, if any, and other material available on hand.

The committee was formed on February 10 to probe the event organised to protest hanging of Afzal Guru, the Parliament attack convict. Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban were arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the programme. Kanhaiya was released on bail from Tihar on March 3 while Umar and Anirban are still in judicial custody.

Earlier last week, the varsity had revoked the suspension of eight students after the high-level probe panel submitted its report on the February 9 incident, wherein anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

The administration had clarified that it hasn't given any clean chit to the students and that the final decision on the matter will be taken after the examination of the report by the Vice-Chancellor.

Apart from Kanhaiya, the eight suspended students included Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya, Ashutosh, Rama Naga, Anant Kumar, Shweta Raj and Aishwarya Adhikari. They were suspended on February 12 for their alleged involvement in organising an event to protest the hanging of the parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on his third death anniversary.

(With Agency inputs)