JNU students raise controversial slogans against PM Modi, Shah

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) erupted into controversy on Monday night after left-wing student groups allegedly raised provocative and inflammatory slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the campus, hours after the Supreme Court denied bail to former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots case.

The incident has triggered sharp political reactions, with the BJP branding the protesters “urban Naxals”, while the university administration has confirmed that an FIR has already been registered and warned of stringent disciplinary action against those involved.

According to the JNU administration, the sloganeering took place around 10 pm outside Sabarmati Hostel during a programme titled “A Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhabba”, organised by students associated with the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) to mark the sixth anniversary of the January 5, 2020, campus violence.

Officials said the gathering initially involved around 30-35 students, but took a provocative turn after the Supreme Court rejected the bail pleas of Khalid and Imam.

“Prominent students identified during the programme included Aditi Mishra, Gopika Babu, Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali, Saad Azmi, Mehboob Ilahi, Kanishk, Pakeeza Khan and Shubham,” the complaint said.

Students affiliated with the Democratic Students Federation (DSF), All-India Students Association (AISA) and the Students Federation of India (SFI) were present at the protest. Among the slogans raised was “Modi-Shah ki kabra khudegi, JNU ki dharti par”, which the university termed “highly objectionable, provocative and inflammatory.”

Reacting strongly, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said: “The slogans raised by the tukde ecosystem in JNU after Sharjeel and Umar were denied bail show the mindset of an anti-India bunch of urban Naxals.” Another BJP spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, alleged that such protests were aimed at legitimising “anti-India thought” on university campuses.

Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood also condemned the incident, drawing a clear distinction between dissent and provocation. “In a democracy, there is a right to dissent, but there can be no place for violence, provocation or the politics of ideological aggression. Raising slogans in support of those who seek to divide the country is not dissent but an act against the nation, and such activities fall in the category of sedition,” Sood said.

Opposition to the sloganeering also came from within the JNU student community. Former JNUSU Joint Secretary Vaibhav Meena said the incident damaged the university’s academic ethos. “It is wrong to raise such provocative and violent slogans on a university campus. JNU is known for debate and discussion, not for hate-filled statements that lower the dignity of students and the institution,” Meena told The Tribune.

In its letter to the Delhi Police, the JNU Security Department said the slogans amounted to “direct contempt of the Supreme Court of India” and were raised deliberately and repeatedly. The administration said the incident violated the JNU Code of Conduct and had the potential to disturb campus harmony, public order and the security environment.

University officials confirmed that an FIR has already been lodged at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The Delhi Police said the matter was under investigation and further action would be taken as per law.