11 JNU students booked for protesting at Odisha Bhawan

The Delhi Police have booked 11 students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), including former JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, for staging a protest outside Odisha Bhawan last week, allegedly violating prohibitory orders in place due to VIP movement in the area.

According to the FIR accessed by The Tribune, the students had been informed that Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), pertaining to prohibitory orders, was in effect in the area. They were advised to hold their protest at the designated site at Jantar Mantar.

However, around 3 pm, a group of 50 to 60 students reportedly assembled near Samrat Hotel in Chanakyapuri, carrying banners and posters. They began raising slogans and protesting loudly, the FIR stated.

Despite repeated instructions from the police, the students allegedly ignored directives and became aggressive, attempting to carry on with their protest forcibly.

The protesters were subsequently detained using “appropriate force” and taken by government bus to Mandir Marg Police Station on the orders of senior officers.

Since the gathering exceeded five persons, thereby violating Section 163 of the BNSS, an FIR was registered under Sections 223(a) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for disobedience to orders promulgated by a public servant, the FIR noted.

The protest was organised by the student outfit All India Students’ Association (AISA) in response to an alleged sexual harassment case in Balasore, Odisha.

On July 12, a 20-year-old woman had set herself ablaze and later succumbed to her injuries at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar after allegedly being denied justice.