Nearly a decade after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) became the epicentre of a national controversy over alleged “anti-national” slogans, the politically charged campus is once again facing a similar flashpoint. The latest row erupted after a protest on Monday night against the Supreme Court’s January 5 decision denying bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both JNU alumni, in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The gathering was initially organised to commemorate the January 5, 2020 violence on campus during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Slogans Trigger FIR Demand
Videos purportedly from the protest surfaced on social media showing students raising slogans critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The JNU security chief has sought registration of an FIR, terming the slogans “objectionable, provocative and inflammatory”. The university administration said such sloganeering violated the JNU Code of Conduct and went beyond the scope of democratic dissent.
JNU Students’ Union president Aditi Mishra, whose name figures in the FIR request, rejected the allegations, stating that the slogans were ideological in nature and not personal attacks. The incident has triggered a sharp political backlash, echoing the 2016 JNU controversy. BJP leaders revived terms such as “anti-national”, “urban naxal” and “tukde-tukde gang” to describe the protesters, while opposition leaders defended students’ right to protest, including against court decisions, though some urged restraint in language.
