Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday, January 6, vowed strictest action against students who are found raising “objectionable” slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The university also asserted that while freedom of speech is a fundamental right, “any form of unlawful conduct or anti-national activity” would not be tolerated inside the campus.
The university said in a post on
It said, “Universities are centers for innovation and new ideas, and they cannot be permitted to be converted into laboratories of hate. Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right. But any form of violence, unlawful conduct or anti-national activity will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
The administration said students involved in the incident would face disciplinary action, which could include immediate suspension, expulsion, or permanent debarment.
“Students involved in this incident will also face disciplinary measures including immediate suspension, expulsion and permanent debarment from the University,” the university said.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University comes a day after a group of students raised slogans against PM Modi and Amit Shah on the JNU campus during a protest. The demonstration was held after the Supreme Court did not grand bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 riots conspiracy case.
According to a video, purportedly of the protest, students raised slogans criticizing the prime minister and the home minister.
The event – A Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhaba – was organized at Sabarmati Dhaba to mark the January 5, 2020, violence in which a mob of masked people entered the campus and attacked students and teachers with sticks and rods.
A letter written by the JNU administration to the Delhi Police claimed that certain students raised “highly objectionable, provocative and inflammatory” slogans at an event on Monday, January 5, that were in direct contempt of the Supreme Court and reflect a “wilful disrespect for constitutional institutions and established norms of civil and democratic discourse”.
Several students have been as being the part of the protest. The names include current Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aditi Mishra. Aditi Mishra has, however, claimed that the protest is held every year and no slogan was directed towards anyone.
“All of the slogans raised in the protest were ideological and do not attack anyone personally. They were not directed towards anyone,” she claimed, PTI reported.
