Row at JNU as University Seeks Police Action Over Anti-Government Slogans

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has written to the Delhi Police seeking the registration of an FIR over allegedly “provocative” slogans raised during a gathering on campus on Monday night. The slogans were reportedly directed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

According to the complaint submitted by JNU’s security chief on Tuesday, the slogans were raised during a programme held outside Sabarmati Hostel. The event was organised to mark the sixth anniversary of the violence that took place on the university campus on January 5, 2020.

The letter stated that the gathering initially began as a commemoration of the 2020 violence but later took a different turn following a Supreme Court verdict that denied bail to jailed activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.

Both Khalid and Imam are JNU alumni and are currently in custody under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.

The JNU administration alleged that after the court verdict, some students raised slogans that were “highly objectionable, provocative and inflammatory” in nature. The complaint claimed that the slogans showed “direct contempt” for the Supreme Court and were inconsistent with the principles of democratic dissent.

The university further said that the slogans violated the JNU Code of Conduct and had the potential to disturb public order, disrupt campus harmony, and affect the safety and security environment of the institution. It added that the slogans were loud, repetitive and deliberate, suggesting intentional misconduct.

In a separate statement, the JNU administration said it had taken “very serious cognisance” of videos from the gathering that were circulating on social media. The statement added that the competent authority had directed the university’s security branch to cooperate fully with the police in the investigation.

“Such acts reflect wilful disrespect for constitutional institutions and established norms of civil and democratic discourse,” the university said.

The written request to the Delhi Police also mentioned that security officials were present at the site throughout the programme and were closely monitoring the situation.

It named several “prominent students” who were present during the event, including JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, Gopika Babu, Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali, Saad Azmi, Mehboob Ilahi, Kanishk, Pakeeza Khan and Shubham, among others.

Responding to the allegations, Aditi Mishra told news agency PTI that students organise a protest every year to condemn the violence of January 5, 2020. She said the slogans raised during the protest were ideological in nature and not targeted at any individual.

“All the slogans raised were ideological. They were not directed against anyone personally,” Mishra said.

The university has meanwhile appealed to all stakeholders to avoid “unwarranted activities” and cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony on the campus.

As of Tuesday afternoon, it remained unclear whether the Delhi Police had registered an FIR in connection with the incident.

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