JNU Warns of Strict Action Over ‘Objectionable Slogans’, Says Campus Cannot Become ‘Laboratories of Hate’

Amid a political and academic row over alleged “provocative and objectionable” slogans raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Tuesday said it would take the strictest possible action against students found involved, asserting that the campus cannot be allowed to turn into “laboratories of hate”.

In a post on X, the university administration said it had decided to act firmly against those raising objectionable slogans. “The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has vowed the strictest action against students found raising objectionable slogans against the Hon’ble Prime Minister and Hon’ble Home Minister. An FIR has already been lodged in the matter,” the post said.

However, police officials later said that while they had received a complaint from the university, an FIR was yet to be formally registered.

Reiterating its position, the JNU administration said universities are centres of learning and innovation and cannot be “permitted to be converted into laboratories of hate”. While acknowledging that freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right, the administration underlined that it does not extend to violence, unlawful conduct or anti-national activities.

“Any form of violence, unlawful conduct or anti-national activity will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the statement said, adding that students found guilty could face disciplinary action, including immediate suspension, expulsion and permanent debarment.

The university’s remarks followed a protest held on campus on Monday evening, during which some students allegedly raised objectionable slogans targeting the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. The slogans were reportedly raised in connection with the Supreme Court’s denial of bail to student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.

Earlier on Tuesday, the JNU administration wrote to the Delhi Police, stating that certain students had raised “highly objectionable, provocative and inflammatory” slogans during the event. The letter said the slogans amounted to direct contempt of the Supreme Court and reflected a “wilful disrespect for constitutional institutions and established norms of civil and democratic discourse”.

The university also named several students, including Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aditi Mishra, claiming they had been identified during the programme.

Students’ union hits back

The JNUSU strongly rejected the administration’s allegations, calling them an “organised attempt to defame the institution and intensify the persecution of students”. In a statement, the union said the event held on Monday was a vigil organised to remember the violence that took place on the JNU campus in January 2020.

“JNUSU had organised a vigil on 5 January 2026 to keep the memory of the 2020 attacks on JNU alive and to highlight the pattern of injustice at Sabarmati Hostel, which was the prime target of the 2020 attacks,” the statement said.

Accusing sections of the media of misrepresenting the event, the students’ union alleged that the controversy was being used to malign the university and suppress dissent. “These attempts at slander are an organised attempt to defame JNU and intensify the persecution of students,” the statement added.