‘Objectionable slogans’ against Modi, Shah at JNU protest sparks row, BJP blames Opposition

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi is back in the centre of a storm – this time over sloganeering against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. A group of students at JNU were seen raising controversial slogans against Modi and Shah a few hours after the Supreme Court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots case on Monday.

According to a purported video, a protest was held at JNU on Monday night, during which the protesters criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aditi Mishra said that students hold a protest every year to condemn the violence that occurred on the campus on January 5, 2020. “All the slogans raised during the protest were ideological and did not attack anyone personally. They were not directed at any individual,” Mishra was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

A senior police officer said that no complaint has been received in the matter so far.

Delhi ministers Ashish Sood and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, condemned the incident and blamed the Opposition for backing such acts. “Sharjeel Imam spoke about separating Northeast India. Umar Khalid raised slogans of ‘India will be broken into pieces,’ and his involvement was found in the 2020 riots. Such people are shown sympathy because there are people in this Assembly who shared a stage with Sharjeel Imam,” Sood said.

VIDEO | On controversial slogans being raised against PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in JNU, Delhi Minister Ashish Sood says, “… Sharjeel Imam spoke about separating Northeast India. Umar Khalid raised slogans of ‘India will be broken into pieces,’ and his… pic.twitter.com/2kDdDhYXNc

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 6, 2026

Echoing similar sentiments, Sirsa too strongly condemned the incident.

VIDEO | “Strongly condemn this; using abusive language against the country’s PM and Home Minister is shameful,” says Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on controversial slogans raised against the PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in JNU. pic.twitter.com/Im2Qi8W2ZK

Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that such people should be tried for treason. He said that the protestors have a Pakistan mentality. “Some people have made JNU a den of ‘tukde tukde’ gang. People like Rahul Gandhi, TMC, Communists are part of this gang…” he said.

VIDEO | Patna, Bihar: On controversial slogans being raised against PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi’s JNU, Union Minister Giriraj Singh (@girirajsinghbjp) says, “Some people have made JNU a den of ‘tukde tukde’ gang. People like Rahul Gandhi, TMC, Communists… pic.twitter.com/0gSF4qoxfo

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit had a different argument. He said that everyone had a right to protest against any court judgment. However, he condemned the use of derogatory words. “Using this kind of language is objectionable. The Congress has always stood for the fact that in public discourse, we must temper our language. You can criticise people, but there is a way and manner in which you put in whatever emotions you have into words,” he said.

VIDEO | Delhi: On controversial slogans being raised against PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in JNU, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit (@_SandeepDikshit) says, “Anybody has a right to protest against any court judgment. But I don’t think use of words like ‘kabr’ and all… pic.twitter.com/l3FDBuSFOa

Holding that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stood on a “higher footing in the hierarchy of participation” in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, the Supreme Court Monday denied them bail while granting the five other accused a conditional bail.

A bench headed by Justices Aravind Kumar and comprising NV Anjaria stated that the allegations against all the accused are not on equal footing and that each bail application must be considered individually, adding that the material presented before it shows the case of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stands on a qualitatively different basis than that of the other accused.

The bench granted bail to the accused Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammad Salim Khan, and Shadab Ahmad.

Violence erupted on the campus on January 5, 2020, when a mob of masked men stormed the campus and targeted students in three hostels, unleashing mayhem with sticks, stones and iron rods, hitting inmates and breaking windows, furniture and personal belongings.

At least 28 people, including then JNU Students’ Union president Aishe Ghosh, were injured as chaos reigned on the campus for nearly two hours. The Delhi Police had come under attack for not acting when the mob was running riot on the campus, and especially for naming student union leaders, including Ghosh, in the two FIRs related to vandalism on the campus.