Controversial slogans raised at JNU against PM, HM; inquiry launched; BJP condemns incident

New Delhi: A protest at JNU sparked a controversy as objectionable slogans targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were allegedly raised over the denial of bail by the Supreme Court to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 riots conspiracy case, prompting the Delhi Police to launch a probe into the matter.

Asserting that “any unlawful conduct or anti-national activity will not be tolerated”, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) said that an FIR has been registered in the Monday incident and the strictest action will be taken against students found raising objectionable slogans.

“Universities are centres for innovation and new ideas, and they cannot be permitted to be converted into laboratories of hate. Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right. “But any form of violence, unlawful conduct or anti-national activity will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Students involved in this incident will also face disciplinary measures including immediate suspension, expulsion and permanent debarment from the University,” the JNU said in a series of posts on X on Tuesday night.

The University also ordered an internal inquiry, as BJP leaders, including Union and Delhi ministers, expressed anger over the incident, alleging that the slogans reflected the “Urban Naxal mindset that is supported by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress”.

The event -- “A Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhaba” -- was organised at Sabarmati Dhaba to mark the anniversary of the January 5, 2020, violence in which a group of masked persons had entered the campus and unleashed mayhem by attacking students and teachers.

A purported video of the Monday protest showed students allegedly raising slogans against the prime minister and Union home minister after the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to Khalid, a former JNU student leader, and Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.

The University has named several students, including current Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aditi Mishra, and said they were identified during the programme. It claimed that the slogans were “deliberate”, “repeated” and had the “potential to seriously disrupt public order, campus harmony and security”.

JNU launched a probe after its administration complained to police about allegedly inflammatory slogans at a January 5 commemoration, drawing political reactions and criticism from BJP leaders.