Politicians took centre stage at the Justice for Rohith Vemula rally in the capital yesterday, reports The Indian Express. As students, teachers and others gathered to demand action against people charged with abetment of Dalit scholar Vemula's suicide, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kerjiwal, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja all attacked the ruling BJP on the issues of Rohith Vemula and the students of JNU charged with sedition. Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav and Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar also spoke at the rally.

BJP president Amit Shah is devising an 'aggressive' campaign to defend its actions in Parliament over the issues of charging JNU students with sedition, and the suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula, reports The Indian Express.

Party leaders say the issue has stimulated support for the BJP from all over the country, and that the protests against the party's actions come only from a minority of liberal elites, supported by the English language press.

"Get out of New Delhi and see who all are supporting us," said a senior BJP leader. "Most of those who are protesting are fringe groups."

Several suspects connected with the terror attack at the Pathankot air base on 2 January have been tracked down and arrested in Pakistan's Punjab province, reports The Economic Times.

A Pakistan official from the Interior Ministry told BBC Urdu that "the raids were conducted in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Jhelum and Dina cities in Punjab province during the last two days, and some suspects were arrested."

Pakistan has also begun investigations into the five phone numbers called by the terrorists after they entered India.

The violence in the Jat quota stir in Haryana has been conducted on caste lines, reports The Indian Express. Lives and property were both targeted on the basis of caste as the Jats turned their rage onto OBCs and outsiders, say the police.

"It started with Jats torching shops belonging to Punjabis and Sainis. In retaliation, the two communities, along with others, vandalised the Chhotu Ram dharamshala of the Jat community. Following this, the Jats attacked Chhavani Mohalla, burnt shops and killed people. We have never seen this kind of violence and divide among castes in Haryana," said Jhajjar SP Sumit Kumar.

JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, charged with sedition in the JNU row, surrendered to the police late last night. The two students, both organisers of the 9 February pro-Afzal Guru rally at JNU, had been on the run since 12 February but returned to the campus on 21 February. "Friends, this is to inform you that Comrade Umar and Comrade Anirban have surrendered themselves to the police. However, they have placed their faith in the law and we hope that they will be released soon. We also hope that Comrade Kanhaiya gets bail tomorrow," JNUSU vice-president Shehla Rashid posted on Facebook.

The bail plea hearing of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar was deferred to 29 February.

Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition in connection with a 9 February event at the varsity where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. The Supreme Court had earlier refused to hear the JNUSU president's plea, saying it would set a wrong precedent for other cases.

Hours after interrogating Jawaharlal Nehru University students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who have been booked on charges of sedition, the Delhi Police on Wednesday filed a status report in the High Court.