The security chief of Jawaharlal Nehru University has written to the Delhi Police, seeking an FIR against allegedly “provocative” slogans raised on campus against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday night.
According to the written request on Tuesday, the slogans were raised during a programme held outside Sabarmati Hostel. The event was organised to “ostensibly observe the sixth anniversary of the violence that occurred in JNU” in January 2020.
The letter stated that while the gathering, when it started, was limited to commemorating the said anniversary, the nature and tone changed after the Supreme Court verdict denying bail to jailed activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Both Imam and Khalid, JNU alums, have been in custody in a UAPA case linked to the alleged “larger conspiracy” in the 2020 Delhi riots.
“Certain students began raising highly objectionable, provocative, and inflammatory slogans,” the letter said, alleging that these were in “direct contempt” of the Supreme Court of India.
{{/usCountry}}“Certain students began raising highly objectionable, provocative, and inflammatory slogans,” the letter said, alleging that these were in “direct contempt” of the Supreme Court of India.
{{/usCountry}}The letter further stated that these slogans were inconsistent with democratic dissent, and had violated the JNU Code of Conduct.
These slogans, it added, had the “potential to seriously disturb public order, campus harmony, and the safety and security environment of the university".
The university asserted that the slogans were clearly audible, repetitive and deliberate, “indicating intentional and conscious misconduct".
In a separate statement, the JNU administration said it had taken “very serious congnizance” of the videos from the gathering circulating on the internet.
“The Competent Authority has taken serious note of the incident and Security Branch has been asked cooperate with the police in the investigation. Such act reflects a wilful disrespect for constitutional institutions and established norms of civil and democratic discourse,” the statement said.
The written request to the police stated that during the act, officials from the security department of JNU were present at the site and had closely monitored the situation.
The letter also stated the names of the “prominent students” during the programme. They were identified as Aditi Mishra, Gopika Babu, Sunil Yadav, Danish Ali, Saad Azmi, Mehboob Ilahi, Kanishk, Pakeeza Khan, Shubham, and others.
Aditi Mishra, president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union, told PTI news agency that students hold a protest every year to denounce the violence that took place 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 said.
The university has asked all stakeholders to “desist from indulging in any such unwarranted activities and cooperate in maintaining peace and harmony on the campus.”
As of 3:15 pm, Tuesday, it was not clear if an FIR had yet been registered.