- FIR registered after controversial slogans at JNU
- Delhi Police launch probe, examine CCTV and videos
- JNU warns of suspension, expulsion and permanent debarment
- BJP leaders slam slogans as anti-national
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 7th Jan: A protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) snowballed into a major controversy after allegedly objectionable slogans targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were raised following the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
The JNU administration said an FIR has been registered in connection with the incident and Delhi Police have launched a probe. The university has also ordered an internal inquiry and warned that students found guilty will face strict disciplinary action, including suspension, expulsion and permanent debarment.
In a series of posts on X, JNU said universities are centres of ideas and innovation and “cannot be permitted to be converted into laboratories of hate”. While reaffirming freedom of speech as a fundamental right, the university stressed that “any form of violence, unlawful conduct or anti-national activity will not be tolerated under any circumstances”.
The event, titled “A Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhaba”, was organised at Sabarmati Dhaba to mark the anniversary of the January 5, 2020, campus violence. According to the university, the programme initially drew 30–35 students but later saw “deliberate and repeated” slogans being raised which, it claimed, had the potential to disrupt public order and campus harmony.
The administration named several students, including JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, as having been identified during the event. Mishra, however, denied wrongdoing, claiming the slogans were ideological and not directed at any individual.
A complaint lodged by the JNU administration with the Vasant Kunj (North) police station said the slogans were “highly objectionable, provocative and inflammatory”, amounting to contempt of the Supreme Court and violating the JNU Code of Conduct. A senior police officer said CCTV footage and videos are being examined as part of the investigation.
The incident drew sharp reactions from BJP leaders. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Delhi ministers Kapil Mishra, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Ashish Sood, and BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari condemned the slogans, alleging that they reflected an “Urban Naxal mindset”. Union Minister Piyush Goyal said personal attacks on the Prime Minister would invite a political response.
The protest comes amid heightened political reactions following the Supreme Court’s decision to deny bail to Khalid and Imam, while granting bail to five other accused in the case.
