NEW DELHI – The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has taken a firm stand following a controversial protest on Monday night, January 5, 2026. The university vowing to take the “strictest action” against students who allegedly raised provocative and inflammatory slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In an official statement on Tuesday, the university asserted that higher education institutions are centers for innovation and “cannot be permitted to be converted into laboratories of hate.”
The Spark: Supreme Court Verdict & 2020 Anniversary
The protest erupted late Monday at the Sabarmati Dhaba on campus. The gathering was initially organized under the title “A Night of Resistance with Guerrilla Dhaba” to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the January 5, 2020, campus violence.
- Trigger Point: The nature of the protest shifted dramatically following news that the Supreme Court had denied bail to former JNU students Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
- The Slogans: Purported videos of the event show students chanting slogans that the administration described as “highly objectionable” and in “direct contempt of the Supreme Court.” One reported slogan was: “Modi-Shah ki kabar khudegi, JNU ki dharti par” (Graves of Modi-Shah will be dug in JNU’s soil).
Administrative & Legal Crackdown
The JNU administration has written to the Vasant Kunj (North) Police Station, seeking the registration of an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
| Named Students | Designation | Current Status |
| Aditi Mishra | JNUSU President | Named in complaint; faces potential suspension/expulsion. |
| K. Gopika | JNUSU Vice President | Named in complaint; investigation underway. |
| Sunil Yadav | JNUSU General Sec. | Named in complaint. |
| Danish Ali | JNUSU Joint Sec. | Named in complaint. |
Disciplinary Warnings: The university warned that involved students face immediate suspension, expulsion, and permanent debarment. The administration emphasized that while freedom of speech is a fundamental right, “anti-national activity” will not be tolerated.
JNUSU Response: “Attempt to Defame”
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has slammed the administration’s move, calling it an organized attempt to persecute student representatives.
“All of the slogans raised in the protest were ideological and do not attack anyone personally. They were not directed towards anyone.” — Aditi Mishra, JNUSU President
The union questioned why the Delhi Police had failed to make a single arrest in the 2020 masked mob attack case in six years, while displaying “extraordinary efficiency” in filing complaints against current student activists.