NEW DELHI: Left-wing student organisations at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) raised controversial slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the Supreme Court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 riots conspiracy case.
According to a purported video of the protest, which was held on Monday night, slogans condemning PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were raised, drawing sharp political reactions.
The protest took place at the ‘Guerrilla Dhaba’ shortly after the apex court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
Around 30-40 students affiliated with the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF), the All India Students’ Association (AISA), and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) participated in the protest.
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 PTI.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders condemned the protest. Party’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla labelled the protesters part of the “tukde ecosystem” and “urban Naxals,” while Pradeep Bhandari said the slogans attempted to legitimise “anti-India thought” on campuses.
Former JNUSU joint secretary Vaibhav Meena criticised the incident, saying such slogans “damage the university’s academic ethos” and lower the dignity of students.
Delhi Police confirmed no formal complaint has been filed in connection with the protest so far.
Violence erupted on the campus on January 5, 2020, when a mob of masked men stormed the campus and targeted students in three hostels, unleashing mayhem with sticks, stones and iron rods, hitting inmates and breaking windows, furniture and personal belongings.
At least 28 people, including JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours.
The Delhi Police had come under attack for not acting when the mob was running riot on the campus, and especially for naming student union leaders, including Ghosh, in the two FIRs related to vandalism on the campus.