A group of students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi raised objectionable slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah inside the university campus on Monday after the Supreme Court rejected bail pleas filed by activists and university alumni Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots case.
However, the Delhi Police said they are aware of the incident. However, no formal complaint has been filed so far. Police officials added that they have sought details related to the matter, and an inquiry is currently underway.
Here's the video
A video of the protest is going viral on social media. In the approximately 35-second video, students can be heard chanting slogans against the Prime Minister and Home Minister.
The slogans were raised at an event titled "Godzilla Dhaba," which was held on the JNU campus on Monday night near Sabarmati Hostel. According to reports, students at the gathering commemorated the 2020 attack on JNU students and protested the denial of bail to Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid.
Sources claimed that JNU Students' Union Joint Secretary Danish Ali and Secretary Sunil were present at the spot when the slogans were raised. Several students associated with Left-wing organisations were also reportedly part of the gathering.
Aditi Mishra, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president, said that every year, students hold a protest to condemn the violence which occurred on the campus on January 5, 2020. "All of the slogans raised in the protest were ideological and do not attack anyone personally. They were not directed towards anyone," Mishra told news agncy PTI.
ABVP condemns slogans
JNU student Gautam condemned the slogans, calling them "anti-national", and demanded strict action against those responsible.
ABVP Vice President Manish Choudhary also criticised the event, stating, "After the verdict denying bail to Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, slogans were raised against the Prime Minister, which is not right. They are demanding the release of people involved in the Delhi riots. The JNUSU organised the programme near Sabarmati Hostel. We will approach the JNU administration over this."
BJP leaders react to the sloganeering
Responding to the sloganeering at JNU, BJP leader and minister Kapil Mishra said on 'X', "When the heads of snakes are being crushed, the snakelets are writhing in pain. Those who raised offensive slogans in support of Naxalites, terrorists, and rioters at JNU are frustrated because Naxalites are being eliminated, terrorists are being dealt with, and the courts have identified the rioters."
Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, "JNU has become the office of the 'Tukde-Tukde Gang' and people with anti-national mindsets like Rahul Gandhi, whether they belong to the RJD, TMC, or the Left parties. They shouldn't forget that this is India, this is Narendra Modi's India of the 21st century. Vivekananda said that saffron will prevail. I want to tell the 'Tukde-Tukde Gang' that those who support people like Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who harboured pro-Pakistan sentiments and talked about separating the Chicken's Neck corridor, are traitors."
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra said, "Some people raise slogans against the nation, religion, verdict of Supreme Court, in support of Afzal Guru, terrorists, naxals. The naxals, terrorists are being eliminated and those who conspired against Delhi, the Supreme Court has announced its verdict on it, so this is just their frustration."
Controversial sloganeering in the past at JNU
JNU has witnessed similar controversies in the past, with incidents of objectionable sloganeering being reported on multiple occasions over the years.
Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam are currently lodged in jail, and the university has often found itself at the centre of political and ideological disputes. The latest incident of sloganeering outside the Sabarmati Hostel has once again brought Jawaharlal Nehru University into the national spotlight.
The controversy comes close on the heels of a Supreme Court observation made on Monday, in which the apex court said the prosecution’s material indicated that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were allegedly involved in "conspiring, mobilising and providing strategic direction" during the 2020 Delhi riots. The court subsequently rejected their bail pleas in the larger conspiracy case related to the violence.
Also Read: Supreme Court denies bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in Delhi riots case; 5 others get relief
