Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) landed in a controversy on Monday as a purported video showing students raising controversial slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shah emerged on social media. They were protesting against the Supreme Court’s verdict denying bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
Several leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, condemned the incident, saying, “These are separatist people.”
“I strongly condemn this. If there will be protests in this country, even against the Supreme Court’s rulings, then what is left?,” Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.
Calling the JNU protesters “separatist”, Sirsa said, “These people have no regard for the country, the constitution, or the law. These are separatist people. They only talk about breaking the country.”
“Using abusive language against the country’s Prime Minister and the Home Minister is utterly shameful,” he said.
Sirsa further alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress “are always visible behind these people like Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others, behind this conspiracy…”
At the same time, Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra called these protesting students “desh ke dushman (country’s enemies)”.
Mishra said, “Some people raise slogans against the nation, religion, the verdict of the Supreme Court, in support of Afzal Guru, terrorists, naxals…The Naxals, terrorists are being eliminated, and those who conspired against Delhi, the Supreme Court has announced its verdict on it, so this is just their frustration…”
Meanwhile, Congress leader Udit Raj defended JNU students, saying, “This is a way of expressing resentment…There is outrage in the JNU. [against the Supreme Court’s verdict in the 2020 Delhi Riots larger conspiracy case],
“They [Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam] are being treated like this as they are muslims. Injustice was done to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. The SC verdict is very unfortunate…,” he said.
JNU student’s controversial slogans
A group of JNU students allegedly raised controversial slogans against PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah inside the university campus 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 Union Home Minister Amit Shah were raised.
Aditi Mishra, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president, was quoted by news agency PTI as saying 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,
A senior police officer told PTI No complaint regarding the slogans has been received.
