Court verdict triggers anti-national sloganeering inside JNU campus
Objectionable and provocative slogans targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were raised by a group of students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday night, shortly after the Supreme Court rejected bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
The sloganeering took place inside the JNU campus near Sabarmati Hostel during an event titled “Godzilla Dhaba”, where students reportedly gathered to mark the January 5, 2020, campus violence and protest the continued incarceration of Khalid and Imam—both accused of playing a key role in orchestrating the Delhi riots.
A video of the incident, now viral on social media, shows students chanting offensive slogans against the country’s top constitutional authorities. The incident has once again raised serious questions about the repeated use of JNU’s campus by ideological groups accused of glorifying rioters and undermining national institutions.
“MODI SHAH KI KABRA KHUDEGI JNU KI DHARTI PAR”
Urban Naxals in support of Anti National Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam protested late night in JNU outside Sabarmati Hostel.
This is not protest, this appropriation of Anti India Thought!
Intellectual Terorist can be academics,… pic.twitter.com/vwDoiI63pf
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) January 6, 2026
Delhi Police said they are aware of the incident and have sought details, adding that an inquiry is underway, though no formal complaint has been lodged so far.
Sources indicated that JNU Students’ Union Joint Secretary Danish Ali and Secretary Sunil were present at the gathering. Several participants were reportedly linked to Left-wing student organisations, which have long been accused of shielding and promoting individuals facing serious charges related to violence and sedition.
JNUSU President Aditi Mishra defended the event, claiming that the slogans were “ideological” and not targeted at individuals. However, critics argue that repeated verbal attacks on the Prime Minister and Home Minister—especially in defence of accused rioters—cannot be brushed aside as ideological dissent.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) strongly condemned the slogans, calling them anti-national. JNU student Gautam demanded strict action against those involved, stating that the university should not be allowed to become a sanctuary for elements that openly challenge the authority of the Indian state.
ABVP Vice President Manish Choudhary said the protest was a direct reaction to the court’s refusal to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. “They are openly demanding the release of individuals accused in the Delhi riots. This programme was organised by the JNUSU near Sabarmati Hostel. We will raise this issue with the university administration,” he said.
Reacting sharply, BJP leader and minister Kapil Mishra said on X that those raising slogans were frustrated as courts and security agencies crack down on extremists. “When the heads of snakes are being crushed, the snakelets writhe in pain,” he wrote, accusing the protesters of sympathising with Naxalites, terrorists, and rioters.
JNU has a long history of controversies involving objectionable sloganeering and ideological confrontations. The latest incident has once again placed the university under national scrutiny, reinforcing concerns over the persistent presence of radical and anti-national narratives on campus.
The controversy comes on the same day the Supreme Court observed that the prosecution’s material indicated Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were allegedly involved in “conspiring, mobilising and providing strategic direction” during the 2020 Delhi riots. The apex court subsequently rejected their bail pleas in the larger conspiracy case.
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