Four office-bearers of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), along with several other students affiliated with Left student organisations, have been identified in connection with alleged
objectionable sloganeering during a protest on the campus earlier this week.
The development comes after the university sought police action, asserting that the slogans raised were provocative, inflammatory and in direct contempt of the Supreme Court.
The four JNUSU office-bearers identified by the university are Aditi Mishra, president; Danish Ali, joint secretary; Gopika K Babu, vice president; and Sunil, general secretary.
Apart from the union office-bearers, the administration has also named other students from different Left student groups, including Saad Azmi, Pakeeza Khan, Shubham, Kanishk Shashank and Mehmood Ilahi.
According to a PTI report, the controversy erupted following a protest held at the Sabarmati Dhaba on Monday night under the title ‘A Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhaba’.
The event was organised to mark the anniversary of the January 5, 2020, violence on the JNU campus.
However, the university alleged that during the programme, slogans targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were raised after the Supreme Court denied bail to former student leaders Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
In a series of posts on X, the JNU administration mentioned that an FIR has been registered in connection with the incident and asserted that “any unlawful conduct or anti-national activity will not be tolerated.”
The university stressed that while freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right, campuses cannot be allowed to become spaces for hate or activities that threaten public order.
“Students involved in this incident will face disciplinary measures including immediate suspension, expulsion and permanent debarment from the University,” JNU said, adding that an internal inquiry has also been ordered.
A letter sent by the JNU administration to the Station House Officer of Vasant Kunj (North) police station stated that certain students raised “highly objectionable, provocative and inflammatory” slogans that reflected wilful disrespect for constitutional institutions and violated the JNU Code of Conduct.
The letter noted that the slogans were deliberate, repeated and had the potential to disrupt campus harmony and security.
A senior police officer told PTI that a probe has been launched and that CCTV footage and videos of the event will be examined.
JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, however, denied the allegations.
She told PTI that students organise a protest every year to condemn the January 5, 2020, violence and claimed that the slogans raised were ideological in nature and not directed personally at anyone.
Meanwhile, the JNUSU, in a separate statement, said it stands for peaceful and democratic forms of protest.
On the contrary, the students’ union accused a section of the media of misrepresenting the event and alleged that the Delhi Police had failed to deliver justice to victims of the 2020 campus violence.
On Wednesday, the Delhi Police confirmed that a complaint had been received from the Chief Security Officer of JNU at Police Station Vasant Kunj North regarding the sloganeering.
Police officials said the complaint is currently under examination to determine the appropriate legal action.
