Pro-Babri Masjid slogans raised at Jamia Millia Islamia on Ram Mandir inauguration day: Report

The city police said that the force has been deployed outside the university as a precautionary measure after videos of students went viral on social media.

Tensions gripped Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia on Monday after several purported videos of students sloganeering for ‘Babri Masjid’ on the university campus surfaced online amid the pran pratishtha or consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. The development prompted Delhi Police to deploy its personnel outside the campus to tighten vigilance.

Students group fraternity movement Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) sitting on full day strike remembrance of Babri Masjid and announcement of government holiday in celebration of the Ram temple event at Jamia Millia. (HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

The Delhi Police said the force has been deployed outside the university as a precautionary measure after videos showcasing students allegedly raising slogans such as “Strike for Babri” went viral on social media.

"The deployment of police personnel outside (the university) is a precautionary measure," news agency PTI quoted a police official as saying, adding that it was done in view of the Ram temple consecration ceremony and upcoming Republic Day.

An X handle with username Fraternity Movement JMI shared a video of some students raisng pro ‘Babri Masjid’ slogans.

"Boycott for Babri. Resistance is Remembrance Fraternity Movement Jamia Millia Islamia organized a university-wide strike, urging students to boycott classes and reading rooms in solidarity with Babri Masjid," it said while sharing the video.

According to officials, the protest and sloganeering were held inside the campus. The police, however, said no one was detained.

Meanwhile, the Jamia Millia Islamia administration said academic activity was not disrupted because of the “protest”. The situation is under control, it said.

“It was just two to three students who engaged in sloganeering. Classes and examination continued without any disruption,” an official of the university told PTI.

The Ram temple was built at the site where the 16th Century Babri Masjid once stood, before being demolished by a mob of ‘karsevaks’ on December 6, 1992.

(With inputs from PTI)