The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Tuesday requested Delhi police to register an FIR after slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were raised during a programme on Monday night
The university said it had taken serious cognisance of videos showing students raising “highly objectionable, provocative, and inflammatory” slogans during a campus event. The university called such actions a “wilful disrespect for constitutional institutions.”
In a letter to the station house officer of Vasant Kunj (North) police station, the JNU administration said the student event, titled ‘A Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhaba’, was organised around 10pm by students linked to the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU).
Initially, the gathering, with around 30-35 students, appeared to commemorate the 5 January, 2020 incident on campus.
However, the administration said the nature of the event changed following the judicial verdict on the bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, after which some slogans that were “inflammatory and objectionable” were raised.
One of the slogans heard in the purported video that has emerged of the protest was: “Modi-Shah ki kabar khudegi, JNU ki dharti par [graves of Modi-Shah will be dug in the soil of JNU]. ”
“Such an act reflects a wilful disrespect for constitutional institutions and established norms of civil and democratic discourse. All stakeholders must understand the clear distinction between dissent, abuse and hate speech which leads to public disorder,” the university registrar said.
The letter to the police further noted that certain students’ actions were “in direct contempt of the Supreme Court” and violated the JNU code of conduct.
The administration emphasised that these slogans had the “potential to seriously disturb public order, campus harmony, and the safety and security environment of the university and the nation.”
“JNU administration has taken very serious cognisance of the videos being circulated of the protest organised at Sabarmati premises yesterday (Monday) wherein a group of students from JNUSU raised highly objectionable, provocative and inflammatory slogans,” the statement read. “The Competent Authority has taken serious note of the incident and Security Branch has been asked to cooperate with the police in the investigation.”
The university has named several students, including current JNUSU president Aditi Mishra, stating that they were identified during the programme. The varsity said the slogans were “deliberate,” “repeated,” and had the “potential to seriously disrupt public order, campus harmony and security.”
Security officials were present and monitored the situation. The chief security officer has requested police to register an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Senior officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told PTI that the JNU administration held a meeting on Tuesday and will take corrective action against students found guilty.
“JNU administration is setting up an internal inquiry on the matter. If students are found guilty of violating any rules or regulations, we will take disciplinary action against the students,” one official said.
The administration will issue an advisory in due course.
The development comes nearly a decade after pro-terror and anti-India slogans raised on the JNU campus had triggered a nationwide controversy.
Students noted that such protests are held annually to condemn the violence on 5 January, 2020, when a mob of masked men stormed the campus, attacked students in three hostels, and caused extensive damage.
At least 28 people, including then JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, were injured in the two-hour-long chaos.
The perpetrators were never punished.
